


Through the Ages

by LilliannaAnsalla



Series: Marvel Fics [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Action & Romance, Bucky Barnes Recovering, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, I have to fix everything myself, I promise, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, everyone is happy, i'm bad at tags someone help me, marvel doesn't make me happy, slight AU, this is happiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-04 22:09:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 38,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18821740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilliannaAnsalla/pseuds/LilliannaAnsalla
Summary: Amiara Jones grew up with Bucky and Steve, the three of them nearly inseparable. However, unforeseen developments pulled them apart, leaving Amiara alone in the world. Now, seventy years later, they're brought together again in the most unpredictable way. BuckyXOC





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> One of my first Bucky fics! I love this man, and I will always want him happy and healthy. Since Marvel won't love him, I guess I have to do it for them. Feel free to leave a comment, question, or say hello!

Amiara laughed loudly as she chased her two friends through the forest. "Guys, slow down!" she called in between laughs and gasps for air.

"Gotta keep up, Ami," the brunette, brown-eyed boy called over his shoulder.

"Come on, Ami!" the blonde, blue-eyed one added. Amiara gritted her teeth and pumped her legs harder, steadily gaining on the two boys. The trio raced through the forest, dodging trees and bushes as they hurried towards their secret hangout. Finally, all three tied in their race to the clearing and collapsed in a panting, laughing, sweaty pile of arms and legs.

"That wasn't fair," Amiara gasped, brushing black hair out of her face. "You two got a head start."

"We told you we were racing," the brunette gasped.

"James Barnes, you did no such thing!" she said, smacking him lightly on the arm.

"Ugh, Ami! You sound like my mom!" he whined, rolling away from the pile.

"Aw, come on, Bucky, you know I was just playing," she said, following him across the clearing.

"Never mind him, Ami," the blonde interjected, standing up from his potion on the floor. "He's just being sensitive."

"I am not!" Bucky cried indignantly, turning to face both of them.

"Steve, don’t tease him. That’s my job!" Amiara said to the blonde in a stage whisper while dusting off her pale blue sundress.

"Hey! You guys, quit it!"

"Ami, don't be mean," Steve chided.

"He started it!"

"Did not!" Bucky exclaimed.

"Did too!" she replied.

"Guys!" Steve interrupted their fight.

"What?" both asked, looks of pure innocence on their faces.

"Can we just play?"

"Okay!" All bickering was forgotten as the three friends spent the entire afternoon playing in the forest, only to hurry home before it got dark.

"Bye, Bucky! Bye, Steve! See you tomorrow!" Amiara called as she climbed the steps to her house while Bucky headed to his house next door and Steve crossed the street to his house.

"Bye, Ami!" they called back.

"Momma, I'm home!" Ami shouted, closing the door behind her and following her nose to the kitchen, where her mother was pulling dinner out of the oven.

"Hello, dear," her mother answered, not looking up from cutting up the chicken for dinner. "Did you have a good day?"

"Uh-huh! I played with Bucky and Steve all day! We raced and played pirates and hide-and-seek and skipped rocks and—"

"Alright, alright, dear, wait until your father gets home. Then, you can tell me all about your day," her mother said fondly, barely holding in her laughter at her six year-old's excitement. Amiara's hazel eyes danced with joy as she practically bounced with energy. "Why don't you set the table before your father gets home?" she suggested.

"Yes, ma'am!" Ten minutes and one broken plate later, the table was set, and Ami was at a loss at what to do until her father got home from work. Luckily, her problem solved itself.

"Honey, I'm home!" her father called from the front door.

"Daddy!" Amiara yelled, sprinting out of the kitchen, down the hallway, and into her father's waiting arms.

"Hiya, Half-pint," he said, spinning her around. "Did you have a good day?"

"Yep! Mommy told me to wait until you got home to tell her about it! Can I tell you now?" He father laughed.

"Hang on, squirt. Let me say 'hi' to Mommy and eat dinner. Then, I want to hear all about what you did today."

"Alright!" Ami wiggled in her father's arms, wanting to be put down, which he obliged to before following her into the kitchen. "Momma, Daddy's home!" she said loudly, jumping up and down.

"I see that, dear. Hello, Jonathan."

"Hi, Amelia," he answered, kissing her before smiling at his daughter's noises of disgust. "Someday you might not mind that so much," he teased.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Uh-huh! And I'm gonna be the one saying 'yuck!'"

"Daddy!" she squealed in protest to her father's tickling.

"Alright, you two goofballs," Amiara's mother cut in. "Dinner's ready, so settle down."

"Yes, ma'am!" they chorused before heading off to the table to eat.


	2. The Early Years

"James Buchanan Barnes, don't you even think about it!" a ten year old Amiara said sternly, not even glancing up from her book.

"Aw, Ami, you take all the fun out of scaring someone!" the eleven year old whined.

"That was the point," she answered, again staring at her book instead of looking at him.

"But I'm boooorred!" he complained.

"Go play with Steve," she answered.

"Steve had to do something with his mom today!"

"Well, seeing as I have one arm in a cast, thanks to somebody, you'll just have to deal with it," she said, this time fixing him with a pointed glare before returning to her book.

"Well, it's not my fault that log was there!"

"No, but it was you that surprised me and made me fall down that hill."

"But, Ami—"

"Nope."

"But I—"

"Uh-uh."

"What if—"

"No, Bucky, you'll just have to play by yourself today," she answered.

"But it's raining!"

"Read a book."

"Will you read me that one?" he asked, motioning to the book she held in her good hand. Ami sighed heavily.

"Fine. Will you keep your comments to yourself?"

"I'll be quiet, I promise."

"You better."

\--------------------------------------------------------------

 

"Hey, Steve, what's—oh my gosh, what did you do?" a fifteen year-old Amiara exclaimed as she opened her front door.

"I got in a fight," Steve answered, holding his bleeding hand and leaning heavily on the doorframe. His face was scratched up a bit, and his hair and clothes were disheveled and dirty.

"Well, come inside. I'll see what I can do." She led him to the kitchen, even though he knew where it was. "Sit down on the stool while I get some water to clean that hand with." She set about gathering the necessary items to care for Steve's injuries. "So, was this fight logical, or do I need to go rough somebody up?" she asked as she flitted from place to place.

"They were just showing off. It's nothing, really Ami. There's no need to get worked up."

"Steve Rogers, this is the third time this has happened in two weeks! I think there's a reason to get worked up."

"I'm fine, Ami. I'm sure it's just a lot of blood." He winced, however, when she placed his hand in warm water and gently began to rub off the blood.

"You might have broken a finger or two," she said as she cleaned up his hand. Suddenly, the front door opened with a bang.

"Ami? Steve?" Bucky's worried voice called from the front door.

"In the kitchen!" Ami called back. Hurried footsteps echoed through the house as he raced back to the kitchen.

"Steve, are you alright?"

"He’s hurt," Ami answered for him.

"What the verdict, doctor?" Bucky asked, kneeling next to her as she inspected Steve's hand thoroughly.

"I think he may have broken a few fingers this time. Here, hold his hand while I get something to disinfect the cuts with."

"What?"

"Just keep the blood from piling up, Bucky. Gosh, grow up!" She rummaged through a cabinet above the sink. "Aha! Here it is!" She pulled down the bottle she was looking for. She knelt back down in front of Steve and held his hand over the bowl of water. "I'm not going to lie to you, Steve. This is going to hurt a bit. Grab onto something." The sixteen year-old promptly gripped the end of the table with his other hand. Steve yelped as she poured it over the cuts, his knuckles on the other hand turning white from squeezing the table. "I'm sorry," she apologized when she had finished.

"It's fine," he gasped, slowly releasing his death-grip on the table.

"Bucky, in the upstairs bathroom, under the sink, there's a roll of bandages in a basket. Grab it, scissors, and tape from the drawer, then come back here."

"Got it." He hurried off.

"I'm really sorry, Stevie," she said sorrowfully.

"It's not your fault, Ami."

"I know, but still—"

"It's enough that you help Bucky and me with our injuries. It's nice to know you care."

"Of course I care! You're my best friends!” Bucky came back with aforementioned items and handed them to Amiara. She took the bandages, tape, and scissors from Bucky before placing them on the table. "Okay, I'm going to bandage this up. Bucky, go tell Steve's mom that we're going to Doctor Morison's, then get back here so we can leave."

"Yes, ma'am!" he said with a mock salute before hurrying back out the door. After Ami had sufficiently cared for Steve's hand, she left a note for her parents on the table, grabbed her house key from her room, stuck it in her pocket, and headed to the porch to wait with Steve for Bucky to get back. "Alright!" Bucky said from the sidewalk, "We're good to go!"

"Ah, my three favorite patients!" Doctor Morison said teasingly as they entered his office. "Which one of you is it today?" he asked.

"Steve," Ami answered, "I think he’s got a few broken fingers."

"Alright. Come here, Steve, and let me look at you." As it turned out, Ami was right, and Steve was given strict orders to not use his hand too much for the next three weeks, then come back. After seeing Steve home to his worried mother, Bucky and Ami sat on the porch swing at Bucky's house, neither of their parents being home yet.

"Bucky, we've got to do something," she said finally.

"What do you suggest we do, Ami? He's just a big target for bigger kids to pick on."

"But you're just as big as they are!" she exclaimed. "Why don't you do something?"

"I'm not always around when it happens," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “Besides, he’s always looking for fights.”

"Bucky, we can't just let this keep happening, though."

"What do you suggest we do?"

"I don't know. We could start beating them up.”

"Ami!"

"I know! We can’t do that.” Bucky was quiet, sighing heavily. "Bucky?"

"Yeah?"

"Take care of him. I worry about him."

"I will, I promise."

\------------------------------------------------------------------

A seventeen year-old Amiara clung onto Bucky as if he were a lifeline as she cried into his shoulder. Her whole body shook with her sobs, her friend being the only thing keeping her from falling to the ground. She refused to look at the two new graves in front of her, choosing instead to soak her friend's clothes with her tears. She felt him rub soothing circles on her back and heard the whispered comforts that he said into her ear. Finally, when she couldn't cry anymore, he and Steve led her back slowly to their neighborhood. Steve carried her packed suitcase, and the two boys watched her carefully, brows creased with worry for their friend. The two walked her over to Bucky's house, where she was welcomed with open arms by Mrs. Barnes. She stayed with the Barnes family for a week before she returned to her house, now void of the comforting smells that always came from her mother's cooking. She sat on the stairs for an hour, staring at the front door while waiting for the arrival of someone who would never come. However, the door did open to reveal worried Steve and Bucky. The two held her while she cried for the third time that day and told her she was always welcome to stay with their families. Ami eventually fell asleep, oblivious to the worried glances the boys gave each other over her head. “We have to take care of her, Stevie,” Bucky said quietly, tucking a stray piece of hair behind Ami’s ear.

“We will, Buck,” the blonde promised. “We always will.”


	3. The War

"I can't believe you did that," an eighteen year-old Ami mumbled, sitting on the fallen tree in their clearing.

"But, Ami, I thought you'd be proud of me!"

"I am, but, what if something happens to you?"

"Nothing's going to happen. I'll be fine!"

"But, Bucky, how do you know that? It’s a war! Nothing’s for certain!"

"I just—I have to keep telling myself that. Come on, doll. Be happy for me."

"I am, but—" All she could think about were the reports of fallen soldiers that came home constantly. World War II was not a water balloon fight. People were dying, and Bucky had just enlisted. He could be next.

"No more buts. Tonight, you, me, and Stevie are going to go to the amusement park, have a good time, and be normal teenagers."

"But we're not. Not since—"

"Hey, don't bring that up. So you got a few tricks up your sleeve. So what? I've seen magicians with more."

"Bucky," she groaned, grinning at his bad joke.

"There's that smile. Come on, Ami. Steve'll be looking for us."

"Bucky," she said, hazel eyes fixed on the ground in front of her as they walked.

"Yeah?"

"You know Steve'll find a way to follow you. He always does."

"And if he does manage to show his face in Europe, I'll give him a wallop on the back of the head and send him back here to take care of you."

"I don't need a babysitter," she said, smiling at her friend.

"No, but you do need someone to hold you back if I get nicked." He wrapped an encouraging arm around her shoulders.

"Oh, don't say that, Bucky. You'll jinx yourself!" She looked at him with wide eyes, pure terror in them.

"I’ll be careful, I promise. Steve and I promised that we would take care of you. I plan to hold onto the promise." Ami smiled and rested her head against his shoulder.

“Oh, Bucky, what would I do without you two?”

“Hopefully, you’ll never have to find out.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ami stood with Steve and Bucky at the docks, surrounded by countless other soldiers that were saying goodbye to their sons, brothers, and husbands. Bucky’s parents had left the three to say their own goodbyes. Ami had her arms wrapped around Bucky’s waist with her nose buried into his chest, trying to cement the smell and feel of him into her memory. “Please, come back to us,” she begged him.

“I promise, Ami,” he answered. “I’ll always be there to protect you and keep you safe.” Ami reluctantly released him so he and Steve could say goodbye one last time. The boat’s horn blew loudly, signaling for the men to board.

“Be careful out there, Buck,” Steve said.

“You too, Stevie. Don’t go beating people up. You have to take care of Ami. She’s your responsibility now.” Ami smiled a bit and looked between the only men in her life. Her boys that were always ready to defend her honor.

“I’ll take care of her,” Steve promised. The horn blew again.

“You better go, Bucky,” Ami said, gently pushing him the direction of the boarding ramp. He picked up his bag and began to walk away before he stopped and suddenly turned back around. “Bucky?” Ami asked before she felt something warm on her cheek.

“Until we meet again,” Bucky said quietly before stepping back. Ami blushed a bit and kissed his cheek in return.

“Be safe, my brave soldier,” she replied, watching as he left for untold horrors, all the while praying that he would return to her safe and sound.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I will never forgive you, James Buchanan Barnes," a nineteen year-old Ami muttered fiercely under her breath, glaring at the headstone in front of her, completely ignoring the pouring rain soaking her to the skin. "You promised. You promised nothing would happen to you. You promised you'd be there to watch Steve. You promised you would—" She couldn't finished that sentence. She was completely oblivious to the shaking of her shoulders, cracking of her voice, chattering of her teeth, and falling of tears down her face, so wrapped up was she in memories of her friend as she absentmindedly twirled the high school ring Bucky had given her around on her finger.

"Ami," a quiet voice said behind her. She ignored it. It sounded familiar, but she knew that it couldn't be the person she thought it belonged to. He was in Europe, far away from her and her pain. She wished he was here with her. A part of her had already died today; she couldn't bear it if the other part did. If it did, she was sure that she would simply disappear. "Ami," the voice repeated. She decided to humor the illusion and turn around. What she saw was definitely not an illusion. There was no way on God's green earth that her brain would come up with that.

"S—Steve?" she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. He looked so different from the last time she saw him. He towered over her now, whereas before, she was about two inches taller than him. His skinny frame had been filled out and toned, muscles clearly shown by the rain-logged shirt that clung to his body.

"Yeah, it's me." That was all it took for her to fully break down. As her knees gave out from under her, she felt his strong arms wrap around her and hold her up. She clung to him and cried, oblivious to the rain, her shivering body, and her changed friend. All she felt was the terrible grief that gripped her heart and threatened to yank it out. She didn't feel Steve pick her up and carry her back to her house, which was ten blocks away. She didn't notice when he took her out of the pouring rain and into her warm, dry house. She didn't care that he had sat down on her couch, soaking the cushions. All she knew was that one of her best friends had died, and she hadn't even gotten the chance to say goodbye.

"Steve?" she hiccuped into his chest, shivering despite the fire in the hearth and warmth of the blonde.

"Yes, Ami?"

"Did he hurt much?" she asked, hoping for some kind of solace in the he hadn't suffered when he died. There was silence for a long moment.

"No, he didn't." Jo gave a small nod, clinging to him for all she was worth. She wanted to remember this. She knew Steve would go back soon. So, if something should happen to him, she wanted to be able to remember everything she could about him while she had him.

"Steve?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you, and, please, be careful."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

A twenty year-old Ami stood silently in front of her friends' graves. She didn't cry; she didn't scream; she didn't say anything. All she did was stand, staring blankly at the headstones in front of her, again twirling the ring around on her finger. "James Buchanan 'Bucky' Barnes," one said, "Beloved Son, Dearest Friend." The other one was almost an exact copy of the first.

"Steven Grant Rogers," this one read, "Loved Son, Dear Friend, Loyal Soldier." She didn't understand why Bucky's didn't mention his military service. He had been over in Europe for longer than Steve. However, he hadn't been "Captain America," so they were probably showing a bit of favoritism. Ami shook her head, laughing bitterly at the irony that she alone knew. Bucky was the reason Steve became Captain America in the first place. In his desperate attempts to join the Army and serve in World War II along with Bucky, he had agreed to an experiment that had turned him into Captain America.

"I'm still mad at you, Bucky. You too, Steve. You both promised you'd come back. When I asked you to promise that, I meant for you both to be ALIVE!" she whispered harshly. With that, she spun sharply on her heel to leave. Suddenly, she saw someone standing off to the side. It looked like a woman, a very pretty one at that. She wore a military uniform, had brown, curly hair, and brown eyes. However, she appeared to be crying. Ami decided to go see if she was all right. "Excuse me, ma'am," she said as she walked up to her, "Are you alright?" The woman glanced up at her, startled slightly.

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry. I'm fine," the woman replied, wiping her face.

"I'm Amiara Jones," she introduced herself.

"Peggy Carter," the woman replied. The woman had a strong British accent. Ami's eyes grew wide.

"Oh, Agent Carter! Steve told me about you!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad to meet you!"

"O—oh, it's nice to meet you too, Miss Jones."

"Oh, please, just call me Ami. Everyone else does."

"A—Ami, then."

"Peggy," Ami said cautiously, "why don't you come home with me? I'd love to talk with you, if you don't have anywhere to be."

"No, I have the week off. I'll go with you." The two women walked back to Amiara's house, silent the whole way.

"Here we are!" Ami said happily, motioning grandly to her two-story house. "It's not much, but it's home." She opened the door and led her guest inside. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked.

"Water will be fine, thank you." Ami got her the water and sat down in an armchair while Agent Carter sat on the couch. For a while, they talked about themselves and told stories about their childhood. Soon, though, they ran out of things to talk about and sat in silence, each of their thoughts turned inwards. Ami felt duty-bound to help the woman, given her friendship to Steve and what he had told her before he had left a year ago.

"Peggy," Ami said quietly.

"Yes?"

"Steve really loved you," she said, looking up at the woman silently. She looked up just in time to see her break down into tears. "Oh, Peggy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"No, it—it's alright, Ami," she said, wiping her tears in vain. “I—I really loved him too.” Ami got up, walked over to her, and wrapped her arms around her. Ami couldn't hold her tears back any longer, either. The two clung to each other and cried for hours, and it wouldn’t be the last time.


	4. The Afterwards

She didn’t quite remember where she met Logan, but she knew that he was exactly what she’d needed to keep her life going forward. Maybe it was his gruff manner that made her curious, or the fact that he used the pet names her father had called her, or maybe it was the fact that he was a man out of time, just like her. Both of them had lived long past the time they should have. While Ami’s friends had aged and died, she stayed the same, never aging. Logan was the same way. The two of them just clicked. They were only together for about two years, but it was enough in Ami’s book. He taught her how to fight and protect herself, and how to use her “special abilities” for fighting. He left soon after she was able to beat him in a fight, tracing the scent of an old enemy, but he made it clear that she could always go to him if she needed him. It was enough for Amiara, who didn’t have anyone left to turn to.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

Ami glared at the man in front of her, her body ready to spring into action at the first sign of threat. "I don't know who you are, or what you want, but I suggest you get out of my house," she practically growled.

"I'm not here to threaten you, Ms. Jones," he said calmly. Ami observed the all-black outfit the man wore, along with the gun at his hip and eye patch across his face.

"I don't care if you're here to offer me a new dishwasher," she replied. "I said get out of my house."

"Ms. Jones, I'm here to offer you a job," he continued. Ami continued to glare threateningly at him. "If you don't believe me, read my mind; I know you can." Now, Ami was prepared for many things, but somebody she had never met telling her that they knew about her powers.

"How did you know about that?" she asked suspiciously.

"I'm part of S.H.I.E.L.D, Ms. Jones; we know a lot of things."

"That's not the answer I'm looking for, and you know it," she snapped.

"Surely you recognize the name," the man said. "You're friend Howard Stark created it."

"I don't know a Howard Stark," she said.

"Oh yes you do, because he told me about you himself shortly after his son Tony was born."

"Fine," Ami said, relaxing only slightly. "What kind of job do you have in mind?"

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ami didn't even flinch as she grabbed the shaft of the arrow Hawkeye had shot at her. "Really, Barton?" she asked, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Gotta keep you on your toes," Clint Barton, a.k.a Hawkeye, replied, grinning at her annoyance.

"I’m a SHIELD agent. Keeping on my toes is my job. Your timing is impeccable, however," Ami said, smiling as she tossed his arrow back at him. "I was just looking for you and 'Tasha."

"She's around her somewhere," he said, running a hand through his short, brown hair, thoroughly messing it up in the process.

"Looking for me?" Natasha asked, stopping at doorway as she passed.

"Great timing, Romanoff," Ami said, turning to face the red headed Russian. "Fury wants you, me, and Barton to meet him on the bridge."

"Why didn't you just beam the message into our heads?" Clint asked as he followed the two women out the door.

"You know I don't do that unless absolutely necessary. Besides, Fury said it wasn't important. By the way, 'Tasha, Coulson said to tell you that your guns were ready."

"Got it." By that time, the trio had reached the bridge. Nick Fury was standing in his usual spot, staring at the skies in front of the Helicarrier.

"Director Fury, we're all here," Ami said when they got near him.

"Good. I have jobs for all of you. Romanoff, you're going to go keep tabs on the Big Guy. You know where to find him."

"Understood, sir," she said, nodding before turning and leaving to get her guns and go.

"Barton, Jones, you two are going to New Mexico to guard an unknown object while Coulson takes a team of specialists out there to test it."

"Yes, sir," they said, leaving to get ready.

"This'll be fun," Ami said as she leaned against a door frame while Hawkeye got his bow and arrows ready. "Hot sun, high temperatures, cloudless skies. You and I are going to either be really tan of really burned."

"Pack sunscreen," Clint answered, grinning at her sarcasm as they left for the hangar.

"Which one of us has the healing factor here? I'm going to get the best tan you've ever seen, Clint Barton. You're the one that needs the sunscreen!"

\----------------------------------------------------------------

"What does this guy think he's doing?" Ami asked as she crouched next to Hawkeye. They were watching the intruder fight a guy in the mud outside the makeshift test site the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had created in the last forty-eight hours. He was tall, has shoulder-length blonde hair, and was a good fighter. He was singlehandedly taking on the biggest man on the site.

"Better make up your mind soon, sir; I'm starting to root for this guy," Hawkeye said into his com-link.

"Hold your fire; I want to see what he does," Coulson replied. Ami sighed.

"Alright, no offense, big guy, but go ahead and knock 'im out. I'm getting soaked out here," she grumbled. They watched as the stranger finally overpowered their man and went inside to the test object. Ami watched his manner go from offensive to confident as he grabbed the handle of the giant hammer and pulled. She watched his confusion when it didn't lift immediately. She saw his face fall and heard his cry-was that despair or -rejection?-when he failed to lift it at all.

"Stand down," Coulson said into their comlinks. Ami stood up next to Hawkeye as they led the man away; she noticed that he didn't even put up a fight anymore. When the two were on solid ground again and inside drying off, Ami couldn't get the man out of her head.

"Clint, did you notice his body language when he couldn't pick up the hammer?" she asked as she wrung the water out of her shirt.

"Probably some local man who thought he could pick it up and didn't get the chance earlier," he replied nonchalantly.

"No, that's not it. It was almost like he expected the hammer to lift up when he pulled because he's done it before."

"Ami, you're not making much sense," Clint said, looking at her as he sat on a nearby box.

"Think about it. When you pull back your bow string, you're so used to doing it that you don't even think about it, right?"

"Well, yeah."

"And if you pulled on it one day and nothing happened, you'd be confused, right?"

"Well, definitely. The string's supposed to pull back when you pull on it."

"Exactly. That's exactly how he acted when he first pulled on it. Tell me you saw the look of confusion that crossed his face."

"I was too busy waiting for the order to fire."

"Alright, never mind," Ami said, pulling her now-damp hair into a ponytail and walking out of the tent. She ignored the curious look that Clint gave her as she left. Ignoring everyone else, she made a beeline for her room. She sat down on her bed and searched for the man’s mind. Once she found it, she gently went in.  _Hi,_  she said into him. She could feel the man’s confusion at the voice in his head.

_Hello,_  he mumbled.

_Okay, I don't have a lot of time before Coulson comes back, but I'm a bit curious by nature, you can ask anyone, assuming you can meet them on slightly better terms in the future. So, can you answer a few questions I have?_

_I will try_ , he answered. Ami smiled.

_Okay. What's your name?_

_Thor,_  he replied. Ami started slightly, remembering a story she had read when she was younger.

_Got a last name to go with that?_

_I'm—I'm sorry. I do not understand,_  Thor said, confused.

_Oh, sorry, let me put it this way. Who's your father?_

_His name is Odin._ Ami smiled slightly. If this panned out, she would  _so_  be able to blackmail Coulson in a few months.

_Okay, one last question, just to satisfy my curiosity. You've picked up that hammer before, haven't you? That's why you went through all that trouble to come get it. It's yours, isn't it?_

_It was, once. It seems I am no longer worthy to wield it_ , Thor answered, sounding thoroughly crushed.

_Oh, I'm sorry. Listen, I wouldn't tell anyone that I talked to you. We could both get in trouble. So, as of right now, we've never met, got it?_

_Wait, you believe me?_  he asked.

_What reason would you have to lie? Besides, I can sense lies; I’m in your head. And, if it’s any consolation, I think you’ll be able to pick up Mjolnir soon if you continue down the path you’re on._  With that, she left his mind. She smiled to herself; the one time she went into somebody’s head without their permission actually proved beneficial.


	5. The Return

"Ami, you might want to see this," Natasha said, poking her head into the training room. Ami stopped her furious beating of the punching bag and looked up.

"What is it?" she asked, wiping her face off with a towel before following the Russian.

"Just wait" was all she replied. She led Ami down one hallway after another. "Our boys in the Arctic found it," Natasha explained.

"The Arctic? Who would want to be—" She never finished her sentence. In fact, she didn't even enter the room. All she did was stand in the doorway, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"Hey, Jones, you're blockin' traffic," Clint said behind her.

"Can it, Barton," she shot back, not even moving from her spot.

"Ami, you okay?" Natasha asked.

"No, no, I'm not. Is that really—?"

"Yeah, and he's still alive."

"How is that—?"

"We don't know," Agent Coulson interrupted. "It might have something to do with the Super Soldier Serum."

"The what?" Ami asked, finally moving from the doorway and into the darkened room.

"What made him like he is," Nick Fury said as he entered the room from the other side. "How're we doin', Coulson?"

"We started the defrosting process, sir. We should have him out of there in a few hours. No telling when he'll wake up, though."

"Take every precaution. I don't want anything to happen to him."

"Or you'll have me to deal with," Ami threatened, glaring pointedly at the technicians in the room, who shied away from her.

"Jones, may I speak to you?" Fury asked. Ami nodded before following him out of the room and into the hallway.

"What do you need, Director Fury?" she asked, keeping in step beside him.

"I want your opinion on an idea I have. Obviously, he's going to be a bit behind in the times. I want to set up a special place for him to slowly be eased into the new world he's going to find himself in."

"Fine by me, but why not just let me do it? I can do it faster and more efficiently than any of your agents. Besides, he knows me; it might help to see a familiar face."

"I'm fine with that; I just wanted your opinion."

"You have it. One condition, though."

"And what would that be?" Fury asked, looking at her sideways.

"You have to let me know the minute he wakes up."

"Done. That's all, Miss Jones." Ami nodded and teleported back to her house to process all of this new information she had taken in in the last thirty minutes.

"I can't believe it," she said quietly as she stood in her hallway looking at all the pictures still on her wall. "He's still alive, after all this time. Frozen in the Arctic. Steve Rogers, you never cease to amaze me."

\---------------------------------------------

Sirens blared, causing Ami, Natasha, and Clint to jump simultaneously. "What was that?" Clint asked, grabbing his bow and notching an arrow.

"Steve got out," Ami said suddenly, taking off running in another direction, tuning every other sound out, focusing on find her friend's mind as she ran after him. She sensed him towards the outer walls. He was confused and worried. "I told Fury to strengthen that wall," she muttered as she ran. She jumped through the hole in the wall that led outside into Time Square. She saw Steve standing in the middle of the road, looking around in shock at his surroundings. Fury ran up to him and spoke to him, but she didn't bothering listening. She stood off to the side, watching her friend. After a few more minutes, she walked up to the two men, gradually catching a part of their conversation.

"Are you gonna be alright?" Fury asked him.

"Yeah, it's just—" He paused here. "—I had a date." Ami walked up and stood slightly in front of Fury, making herself known to Steve the minute he turned back around. "Ami?" he asked, staring at her as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Hey, Stevie," she answered, smiling at him. One minute, they were standing five yards away from each other; the next, they were hugging while Steve spun around in a circle, laughing and smiling as he held her. Ami was laughing, crying, and smiling all at the same time, not caring that they both looked utterly ridiculous.

"I hate to break this up, but we're blocking traffic here," Clint said, grinning mischievously.

"Clint Barton, I suggest you start running," Ami said, turning to face the agent while still holding onto her friend.

"Why?" he pressed, slowly taking a step back.

"Excuse me, Steve; I'll be right back." With that, she dropped her hold on Steve and raced off into the building after Hawkeye's swiftly retreating figure, listening to the laughter of Natasha and Steve as they left.


	6. The Avengers

Ami and Steve were in a boxing center, letting Steve go a few rounds with the punching bags. Ami sat by the row of extra bags, ready to hang another one up when her friend succeeded in knocking the bog off of its hook. As per usual, Steve was flashing back to his memories from the war while hitting the bag, his anger building and building until the bag flew across the room. Ami hung the next bag up with a wave of her hand and handed Steve a towel. Footsteps echoed behind them, and Nick Fury walked in.

“Trouble sleeping?” he asked.

“I slept for seventy years, sir,” Steve answered, punching the bag. “I think I’ve had my fill.”

“Then you should be out, celebrating, seeing the world.” Steve stopped punching and walked over to the bench Ami was sitting on and began unwrapping the tape on his hands before sitting down next to her.

“When I went under, the world was at war. I wake up; they say we won. They didn’t say what we lost.”

“We’ve made some mistakes along the way. Some very recently,” Fury said.

“You here with a mission, sir?” Ami asked. 

“I am.”

“Trying to get me back in the world?” Steve asked.

“Trying to save it. The Tesseract has been stolen."

"The who has been what now?" Ami asked, tensing up slightly. Steve took a file that Fury handed him, while Ami looked at it over his shoulder.

“Hydra’s secret weapon,” Steve explained.

“Howard Stark fished that out of the ocean when he was looking for you. He thought was we think: the Tesseract could be the key to unlimited, sustainable energy. That’s something the world sorely needs.”

"Who took it from you?" Steve asked.

"He calls himself Loki," Fury answered.

"Wait, as in the Norse god of mischief? Thor's brother?" Amiara asked.

"Yes, and he took several men with him." Fury gave her a pointed look.

"Barton? He got Clint? Why aren't you sending people out looking for him?" Ami practically shouted. "I swear, if that guy does anything to him—" Steve grabbed her upper arm and shook her slightly.

"Calm down," he ordered. Ami meekly complied and unclenched her fists.

“There’s a lot we’ll have to bring you up to speed on if you’re in. The world has gotten even stranger than you already know,” Fury said.

“At this point, I doubt anything would surprise me,” Steve told him.

“Ten bucks says you’re wrong. There’s a debriefing package waiting for you back at your house.” Steve stood up and picked up a punching bag. Ami followed him, bringing the rest of them with her with a wave of her hand. “Is there anything you can tell us about the Tesseract that we ought to know now?” Fury called after them.

“You should have left it in the ocean,” Steve answered bitterly.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So, let me get this straight. You want me to go to Calcutta, find Dr. Banner, and convince him to come back with me without causing an, um, ‘incident?’” Ami asked, looking at Fury as if he had just told her that Tony Stark had just gotten married.

“Yes. Is there a problem, Agent Jones?” Fury asked in a tone that said, “Do it or else.”

“No, sir, just clarifying. I’m heading out now.”

“I’m sending a team in with you.”

“With all due respect, Director, I got this.” She went into her room on the Helicarrier, grabbed her knives and gun, and teleported to Calcutta, India. After doing a little recon, she found a little girl who would find Dr. Banner and bring him to a deserted hut about a mile out of town. She sat on a box against one wall and waited. The girl hurried through the door and tried to hand Ami her money back. “Keep it, darling,” she said with a smile. The girl nodded and climbed through a window as Dr. Bruce Banner came in through the door.

“Should’ve gotten paid up front, Banner,” he said to himself as he looked around the room.

“You know, for someone who wants to avoid stress, this place would be at the bottom of my list,” Ami said as she stood up and entered his line of sight.

“Avoiding stress isn’t the secret,” he said, smiling slightly while running a hand through his curly black hair.

“Really? What is? Yoga?”

“You brought me to the edge of the city, smart,” he said, avoiding the question, but Amiara let it drop. “I—uh—assume the whole place is surrounded?”

“Nope,” Ami said, shaking her head, “just you, me, and the bugs.”

“And your actress buddy,” he said, pointing his thumb at the window the little girl had escaped from, “is she a spy too? Do they start that young?”

“A friend of mine did. I didn’t.”

“Who are you?” Dr. Banner asked.

“Amiara Jones.”

“Are you here to kill me, Miss Jones? Because that’s not gonna work out for everyone,” he warned, taking a slight step back.

“No, I’m not. SHIELD sent me.”

“SHIELD? How’d they find me?” he asked, looking at her warily.

“They never lost you, Dr. Banner. They kept their distance and kept some other people off your scent.”

“Why?”

“Fury trusts you. However, now, they need you to come in.”

“What if I say no?”

“I’ll persuade you, passively,” Ami said, a small smile on her face.

“And what if the—other guy—says no?”

“More than a year without an ‘incident?’ I don’t want to ruin that record!”

“I don’t always get what I want.”

“Amen to that, but we’re facing a global catastrophe.”

“Well, those I actively try to avoid,” he said quietly. Ami laughed a bit.

“Oh, I like you.” She pulled up a picture of the Tesseract on her phone and handed it to Dr. Banner. “This is the Tesseract. It has the potential energy to wipe out the planet,” she explained.

“What does Fury want me to do? Swallow it?” Ami laughed again.

“Quit making me laugh while I’m doing business!” she chided playfully. “He wants you to find it, to answer your question. From what I’ve heard, it emits a gamma signature that’s too weak for them to trace. You being the expert on the subject, they want your help.”

“So he’s not after the monster?” Banner asked cautiously.

“Not that I know of.”

“And Fury tells you everything?” Ami scoffed.

“Hardly. I don’t even think he likes me. However, he does need you on this.”

“He needs me in a cage?”

“No one’s going to put you in a—”

“Stop lying to me!” he roared, slamming his hands down onto the table. Ami unsheathed the knives in her knuckles and got into her ready stance, glaring at him murderously as her eyes flashed red. Dr. Banner took a step back, smiling slightly. “I’m sorry, that was mean,” he said quietly. “I just wanted to see what you’d do. Why don’t we do this the easy way, where you don’t use those, and the other guys doesn’t make a mess, okay? Amiara?” Ami gradually stood up straight again and returned her knives to their places in her arms.

“That wasn’t funny,” she said angrily. “You could have just gotten me in a lot of trouble.”

“How? By breaking my record? I don’t think so.”

“No, by making me expose a secret that not even my best friend knows.”

“And what would that be?”

“Maybe if you move into my best friend spot, you’ll find out one day. Now, are you coming or what?”

\-------------------------------------------------

Ami stifled a giggle as Dr. Banner—or Bruce, as he’d insisted that she call him—tried his hardest to stay out of everyone’s way on the deck of the Helicarrier. “Ami!” she heard someone call. She spun around and saw Steve and Natasha looking her way. Bruce also turned towards her.

“Come on, I’ll introduce you,” she said, motioning for him to follow her. She hurried over to her two friends. “Steve!” she said, hugging him tightly.

“Hi, Ami,” he answered, letting go of her as Bruce approached. “Dr. Banner,” he greeted, shaking his hand.

“Oh, yeah. Hi. They told me you’d be coming.”

“Word is you can find the cube,” Steve said.

“Is that the only word on me?” Bruce asked.

“Only word I care about.”

“Must be strange for you, all of this,” Bruce said, motioning around them.

“Well, this is actually kind of familiar,” Steve answered.

“Bruce, this is Agent Romanoff. ‘Tasha, this is Dr. Banner,” Ami said, introducing them as they shook hands.

“Nice to meet you. Gentlemen, you may wanna step inside in a minute. It’s going to get a little hard to breathe,” Natasha said, smiling slightly. The Helicarrier began to rumble as it began to do something.

“Is this a submarine?” Steve asked, looking at Ami for an answer as Natasha headed inside. Ami just smiled at him.

“Really?” Bruce asked. “They want me in a submerged, pressurized, metal container?” The trio moved towards the edge of the Helicarrier as huge turbines began to rise out of the water and lift it into the air. “Oh no. This is much worse!” Bruce called over the noise. Ami pulled them towards the door as they began to gain altitude.

“Come on, you two! Fury’s waiting!” Ami led them onto the main bridge as the ship camouflaged itself on the outside to hide it from view.

“Gentlemen,” Fury greeted, taking ten dollars from Steve as he passed, causing Ami to tilt her head in confusion. Fury then shook Bruce’s hand. “Doctor, thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for asking nicely,” he replied. “So—uh—how long am I staying?

“Once we find the Tesseract, you’re clear to go.”

“Where are you on that?” Bruce asked.

“We’re sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet. If it’s connected to a satellite, it’s eyes and ears for us,” Agent Coulson said from his position next to the computers on the lower section of the room.

“That’s still not going to find them in time,” Natasha said quietly.

“You have to narrow the field,” Bruce said, turning to Fury. “How many spectrometers do you have access to?”

“How many are there?” Fury replied.

“Call every lab you know. Tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I’ll rough out a tracking algorithm based on cluster recognition. At least we could rule out a few places. Do you at least have somewhere for me to work?”

“Agent Jones, would you show Dr. Banner to his laboratory, please?” Fury said. Ami nodded and motioned for Bruce to follow her.

“You’re gonna love it, Doc. We got all the toys,” she said as she led him down the hall.

“So, you know Captain Rogers?” Bruce said, trying to make conversation.

“Yep, since we were little. He was one of my best friends.”

“What your story?”

“Nothing as fancy as his. I’m a mutant. One of the powers I happen to have includes a healing factor. My body repels aging. I’m physically stuck at twenty-one indefinitely.”

“Is that your secret?”

“Oh, no. Everyone knows that. I honestly can’t believe you didn’t notice earlier, but I won’t tell you that easily. You’re gonna have to rank right up there with Steve before I’ll tell you, and he doesn’t even know yet. I’m letting him get settled into this time period a bit more before telling him. Oh! And here we are. Velcome to my lair,” she said in a horrible accent.

“Okay, that was bad,” Bruce said as he walked into the laboratory.

“That’s what I was going for. See you later, Bruce. I gotta go.”

“Bye.”


	7. The Plan

Ami gripped the armrests of her chair as Loki fired a blast of blue energy at Steve, the latter of the two ducking behind his shield. She let go of the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, collapsing in relief further into her chair. "You okay?" Natasha asked, glancing over at her while she flew the plane.

"Yeah, just happy to know that that shield really is indestructible. Makes my life a lot easier."

"Agent Romanoff," a voice said over the PA system suddenly, "did you miss me?" There was a short burst of static before AC/DC’s "Shoot to Thrill" blared over the speaker system. Natasha rolled her eyes in annoyance as the familiar form of Iron Man flew down from the sky and landed in front of Loki. "Make your move, Reindeer Games," Tony Stark ordered from inside his suit while revealing all the missiles stored in his armor. Loki slowly released his hold on his spear and raised his hands above his head. “Good move.”

"Mr. Stark," Steve said as he stood next to him.

"Captain," Tony replied.

"Natasha!" Ami said as she jumped out of the airplane and onto the ground.

"Amiara," Natasha answered, smirking from her spot in the co-pilot's seat.

"Great! We all know each other! Now let's get this guy back to headquarters before I do their dirty work for them," Ami said, glaring pointedly at the man on the ground in front of them. Once they were in the air, she sat across from him and ignored the semi-fight Stark and Steve were getting into. Natasha contacted Fury and updated him on the situation before concentrating on flying the plane.

“I don’t like it,” Steve said quietly to Stark and Amiara.

“What? Rock of Ages giving up so easily?” Tony asked.

“I don’t remember it ever being that easy. This guy packs a wallop.”

“Still, you are pretty spry, for an older fellow,” Tony replied, causing Ami to glare at him. “What’s your thing? Pilates?”

“What?” Steve and Ami asked.

“It’s like calisthenics. You might have missed a couple things, you know, doing time as a Capsicle.” Ami glared at him again and shook her head in warning, which Stark ignored.

“Fury didn’t tell me he was calling you in,” Steve said.

“Yeah, there’s a lot of things Fury doesn’t tell you.” Suddenly, lighting flashed and thunder boomed. Ami noticed that Loki looked a little nervous. The others noticed it too.

"What’s the matter? Scared of a little lightning?" Steve asked.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows," the Asgardian replied. A thump sounded on the top of the aircraft. Tony got into his suit.

"Open the hatch," he ordered, waiting for the door to open. A blonde figure landed on the now-open ramp, strode in, tore Loki out of his seat, and took off into the night all in about five seconds. "Now there’s that guy."

“Another Asgardian?” Natasha called back.

“Thinks this guy’s a friendly?” Steve asked.

"Are you crazy? You'll be killed," Ami said, knowing that the lightning would be attracted to Tony’s armor the minute he flew out.

"Doesn’t matter. If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract is lost."

"Stark, we need a plan of attack!" Steve called over the wind.

"I have a plan: attack," he shot back, flying out of the ramp. Steve went over and began to strap himself into a parachute.

"I think you better sit this one out, Cap," Natasha said from the front.

"I don’t see how I can."

"These guys come from legend. They're basically gods."

"There's only one God, ma'am, and I’m pretty sure He doesn’t dress like that," Steve replied, heading over to the off-ramp purposely.

"I'm coming with you," Ami said, standing up.

"No, you stay here. You could get hurt."

"Really? Knowing what you know about me,  _that’s_  what you're worried about?" Steve sighed.

"Fine, but be careful." Then they both jumped out of the plane, Steve with his parachute, and Ami literally flying.

"You know," she yelled over the wind rushing in their ears, "I could have just teleported us down there!"

"A little late for that, isn't it?" Steve yelled back, eliciting a laugh from Ami before she landed gracefully on the ground.

"Alright, you insufferable, arrogant genius," Ami said under her breath, "where'd you go?" Suddenly, she heard the sound of people talking to her left. "This way; try to keep up!" With that, she took off in that direction, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake as she sped across the forest.

"Alright, what is this? Shakespeare in the park?" she heard Tony's voice say as she came to a stop on the top of a nearby high rock. "Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?" she heard him taunt. Honestly, leave it to Tony to joke around when faced with a Mexican stand-off with a god.

“This is beyond you, metal man. Loki will face Asgardian justice!” Thor answered.

“He gives up the Cube, he’s all yours. Until then, stay out of my way.” He began to walk away. “Tourist,” he muttered. A satisfying clank followed shortly afterwards, causing her to both grin and flinch. She waited for a minute, letting to two settle their dominance issues, before jumping off the rock and landing in between the two of them. "Really, Amiara, now's not the best time," Tony said, gesturing at himself and Thor.

"Now couldn't be better!" she replied, smiling at Thor, who returned it, albeit a bit confused while he did it. "Listen here, you two," she said sternly, glaring at both of them, her previous joking manner gone, "you can settle your dominance issues later. Right now, we have to find the Tesseract, and you  _children_  are going to have to get along to do it. So, both of you,  _calm down_!" she practically yelled at them. A quick glance at the two of them told her that they still wanted to go at it. "Fine!" she sighed. "Five minutes! That's it, before I drag you both back to the Helicarrier by your ears!" She stepped back and let the two beat the daylights out of each other.

"Hey!" Steve's voice cut in at exactly four minutes as his shield hit first Thor, then Iron Man in the face. "That's enough!" He jumped down from the rock previously occupied by Ami and looked at both of them. "Now, I don’t know what you plan on doing here-“

“I’ve come here to put an end to Loki’s schemes!” Thor answered.

“Then prove it. Put the hammer down," he instructed Thor.

"You want me to put the hammer down?" Thor questioned, tightening his grip on his weapon.

"Uh, Cap, that's not a good idea; he loves his—" Tony's protest was cut off as Thor brought his Mjolnir down soundly on Captain America's shield, sending out a powerful shockwave throughout the forest. Once the wave had cleared, the four of them stood looking around them, then at each other.

"Are we done here?" Steve asked, receiving no argument from any of the others.

"Cap, you get Loki. I've got these two," Ami said, phasing Tony's helmet off of his head and glaring at Thor. "I'll see you back at the Helicarrier" was all she said before grabbing one of each of the men's ears, dragging them after her while grinning at their cries of protest and pain before teleporting them back to the Helicarrier.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Ami plopped down in her seat next to Steve as the security video shut off of Fury talking to Loki in the cage built for the Hulk. “He really grows on you, doesn’t he?” Bruce commented. Ami nodded in agreement.

“Loki’s gonna drag this out,” Steve said. “So, Thor, what’s his play?”

“He has an army called the Chitauri. They are not of Asgard or any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract.”

“An army? From outer space?” Ami asked, shocked.

“So he’s building another portal. That’s what he needs Erik Selvig for,” Bruce said.

“Selvig?” Thor asked, suddenly extremely interested in the conversation.

“He’s an astrophysicist.”

“He’s a friend,” Thor answered.

“Loki has him under some sort of spell, along with one of ours,” Natasha said quietly.

“I wanna know why Loki let us take him. He’s not leading an army from here,” Steve said, changing the topic of conversation.

“I don’t think we should be focusing on Loki,” Bruce said. “That guy’s brain is a bag full of cats; you can smell crazy on him.” Ami grinned at him for that comment.

“Have care how you speak,” Thor exclaimed. “Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he’s my brother.”

“He killed eighty people in two days,” Natasha said flatly.

“He’s adopted,” Thor replied quietly.

“Iridium, what did they need the Iridium for?” Bruce mused aloud.

“It’s a stabilizing agent,” Tony said, appearing on the bridge after having a conversation with Agent Coulson. “Means the portal won’t collapse on itself like it did at S.H.I.E.L.D.” He walked up to Thor and patted him on the arm as he passed. “No hard feelings, Point Break. You’ve got a mean swing.” He turned back to Bruce. “Also, it means the portal can stay open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants.” Ami tuned him out for a bit as he showed off, instead drawing invisible pictures on the table’s surface.

“Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?” Steve asked, causing Ami to tuned back into the conversation.

“He’s got to heat the cube to a hundred-twenty million Kelvin just to break the Coulomb barrier,” Bruce said. Ami tilted her head in confusion, trying to remember all of the sciencey stuff she had learned.

“Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect,” Tony replied.

“Well, if he could do that, he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet.”

“Finally, someone who speaks English!” Tony exclaimed, going over to shake hands with Bruce.

“Is that what just happened?” Steve asked, shaking his head in confusion. Ami shrugged.

“It’s good to meet you, Dr. Banner,” Tony said. “Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I’m a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster.” Bruce looked down with an uncomfortable smile.

“Uh, thanks.” Director Fury walked into the room suddenly.

“Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him,” he said to Tony.

“Let’s start with that stick of his. It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon,” Steve suggested.

“I don’t know about that,” Fury said, “but it is powered by the cube. And I’d like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys!” Thor looked up, confused.

“Monkeys? I do not understand,” he said.

“I do!” Steve said suddenly. “I-I understood that reference.” He looked nervously around as people shot him weird looks. Ami patted his hand reassuringly.

_It’s okay,_  she said into his head,  _I understand._  Steve gave her a grateful smile. Tony and Bruce left for their lab while Steve and Natasha went off to the training room. Ami and Thor were left to their own devices, which consisted of relaxing in the chairs and talking about Asgard, Loki’s plan, and where the Tesseract might be. “I just wish there was a way for us to know what he’s planning,” she said, sighing.

“Are not you the girl I was told that could read minds?” Thor asked. Ami smiled sheepishly.

“Well, yes, but from what I’ve seen, I do NOT want to go in there. I’d feel much safer out here, thank you.”

“I understand. He was not always like this, you know.”

“People seldom are. I’m sorry, Thor. I wish I could help, but I can’t.”

“You have my thanks, Lady Amiara.”

“Oh, Ami’s fine. You don’t have to call me ‘lady’ and all that. Ask Steve; I’m more of a tomboy than anything.”

“I shall keep that in mind,” he said while standing. He froze suddenly and appeared to think hard about something. “Have we met before?” he asked suddenly. Ami smiled.

“Yes, we have.”

“You are the one that spoke to me when I first came to Earth!” he exclaimed. Ami nodded.

“I am. It’s very nice to meet you in person, Thor Odinson. You gave Hawkeye and me quite a show that night. I enjoyed it.”

“It is lovely to meet you as well. Now, if you will excuse me?”

“Sure thing. See you around!”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey, guys,” Ami said as she entered the lab where Bruce and Tony were working.

“Hi, Ami,” Bruce answered, looking up from his work in greeting.

“Miss Jones,” Tony said, barely giving her a glance.

“How’s it goin’?” she asked, sitting on top of a stool while looking over Bruce’s shoulder.

“Good so far,” Bruce replied, moving over so she could see better.

“I just past Steve in the hallway looking extremely ticked off. You two wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

“He’s just upset because I made him question Fury’s integrity,” Tony said hotly.

“The guy’s not wrong about Loki. He does have the jump on us,” Bruce commented.

“What he’s got is an ACME dynamite kit,” Tony replied. “It’s gonna blow up in his face, and I’m going to be there when it does.”

“And I’ll read all about it,” Bruce said.

“Or you’ll be suiting up like the rest of us.”

“Ah, see, I don’t get a suit of armor. I’m exposed, like a nerve. It’s a nightmare.”

“You know, I’ve got a cluster of shrapnel, trying every second to crawl its way into my heart.” He pointed to the glowing, blue Arc-Reactor in his chest. “This stops it. This little circle of light. It’s a part of me now, not just armor. It’s a-terrible privilege.”

“But you can control it,” Bruce pointed out.

“Because I learned how.”

“It’s different,” Bruce muttered.

“Hey,” Tony said, swiping his finger across the screen Bruce was working on to clear it and see his face, “I’ve read all about your accident. That much gamma exposure should have killed you.”

“So you’re saying that the Hulk-the other guy-saved my life?” Bruce asked. “That’s nice; it’s a nice sentiment. Saved it for what?”

“I guess we’ll find out,” Tony said, going back to work.

“You might not like that,” Bruce warned, a weak grin on his face as he returned the work back to his screen.

“You just might.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Bruce,” Ami said to him quietly so Tony couldn’t hear. “You have more to offer to the world than just rampant destruction.”

“Really? Like what?”

“Why are you here? Why am I talking to you? Fury trusts your brains, and I trust you. You’re a good guy, Bruce, in more ways than one, and I’m glad that I call you my friend.” The two finish up their scanner for the Tesseract and leaned against one of the counters in the room while Ami grabbed a piece of paper, borrowed a pencil from Bruce, and began doodling as they waited. Suddenly, Fury walked in, looking very angry.

“What are you doing, Mr. Stark?” he demanded.

“Uh, kind of been wondering the same about you,” Tony replied.

“You’re supposed to be locating the Tesseract,” Fury said.

“We are,” Bruce cut in. “The model’s locked, and we’re sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we’ll have a location within half a mile.”

“And you’ll get your cube back, no muss, no fuss.” Tony’s computer beeped, bringing up secret files. “What is PHASE 2?” Steve walked in and dropped a weapon on the table nearby.

“PHASE 2 is S.H.I.E.L.D. using the cube to make weapons. Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow,” he said to Tony.

“Rogers,” Fury said, “we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we’re—“

“I’m sorry, Nick,” Tony interrupted, showing PHASE 2 weapons plans. “What were you lying?”

“I was wrong, Director,” Steve said seriously. “The world hasn’t changed a bit.” Thor and Natasha walked into the room right then. Bruce glared accusingly at Ami and Natasha.

“Did you two know about this?” he asked. Ami shook her head.

“I barely know anything about this organization. I don’t ask, so I’m not told.”

“You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?” Natasha said firmly.

“I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed,” he replied.

“Loki’s manipulating you.”

“And you’ve been doing what exactly?” Bruce shot back.

“You didn’t come here because Amiara batted her eyelashes at you.”

“Yeah, and I’m not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy. I’d like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction!” There was a beat of silence that was filling with angry glares by the superheroes while Ami stood behind Bruce, peeking around his shoulder and watching the fight go on. Nick Fury sighed and pointed at Thor.

“Because of him.”

“Me?” Thor asked, looking stunned.

“Last year, earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, and hilariously, outgunned,” Fury explained.

“My people want nothing but peace with your planet,” Thor said.

“But you’re not the only people out there, are you? And, you not the only threat. The world’s filling up with people who can’t be matched; they can’t be controlled.”

“Like you controlled the Tesseract?” Steve accused.

“Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is a signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war,” Thor said.

“A higher form?” Ami asked, getting worried.

“You forced our hand. We had to come up with something,” Fury tried to reason.

“Nuclear deterrent,” Tony interrupted. “’Cause that always calms everything right down.”

“Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark,” Fury argued.

“I’m sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep-“ Steve started.

“Wait, wait! Hold on! How is this now about me?” Tony cut in.

“I’m sorry. Isn’t everything?” Steve shot back.

“I thought humans were more evolved than this,” Thor said with a smirk. Ami leveled him with a harsh glare.

_Careful, Thor,_  she warned him in his head.

“Excuse me, did  _we_  come to  _your_  planet and blow stuff up?” Fury yelled.

“Did you always give your champions such mistrust?” Thor asked.

“Are you boys really that naïve?” Natasha cut in. “SHIELD monitors potential threats!”

“Captain America is on the watch list?” Bruce asked, an eyebrow raised in question.

“You’re on that list?” Tony asked Cap, an incredulous look on his face. Are you above or below angry bees?”

“I swear, Stark, one more crack—” Steve warned.

“Threatening! I feel threatened!” Tony exclaimed mockingly. Ami looked over and noticed that the gem in Loki’s scepter was glowing a bit brighter. She slid over to the screen Bruce had been working on and looked at the readings. Everything looked normal, but she couldn’t be sure. Ami sure wasn’t going to get into the fight to get someone’s attention.

“You speak of control, yet you court chaos!” Thor exclaimed to everyone in the room.

“It’s his M.O., isn’t it?” Bruce said. “I mean, what are we, a team? No, no, no. We’re a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We’re—we’re a time bomb.”

“You need to step away,” Fury warned. Ami looked over at the doctor and noticed his hand was moving towards the scepter. Very carefully, she moved it backwards with her mind, away from his hand.

“Why shouldn’t the guy let off a little steam?” Tony asked, putting an arm around Steve’s shoulders.

“You know damn well why! Back off!” Steve yelled at him, hitting his hand away.

“Oh, I’m starting to want you to make me,” Tony said, getting face-to-face with Cap.

“Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off; what are you?” Steve asked.

“Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.” The situation was temporarily diffused as everyone agreed with that statement. But, of course, Steve wouldn’t let it drop. Ami sighed.

_He never could back away from a fight,_  she thought to herself.

“I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. Yeah, I’ve seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You’re not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you.”

“I think I would just cut the wire,” Tony said. Steve smiled knowingly.

“Always a way out. You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero.” Tony got a look on his face that showed everyone who was looking that Steve had just crossed the line.

“A hero? Like you? You’re a lab rat, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle!”

“Guys! Stop!” Ami said, finally done with this pointless argument.

“Shut up, Jones! You’re a freak just like your  _friend_  here!” Tony said, causing something inside of Ami’s head to snap. Her eyes turned blood red, and she snarled slightly. Nobody noticed because they weren’t looking, but Ami’s eyes widened as she put a hand to her head.

_Not now,_  she said to herself.  _And definitely not here._

“Put on the suit; let’s go a few rounds,” Steve challenged. Thor laughed.

“You people are so petty-and tiny.” The argument once again came to a stand-still.

“Yeah, this is a tea,” Bruce said sarcastically, shaking his head slightly.

“Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner to his—” Fury started to say.

“Where?” Bruce interrupted. “You rented my room.”

“The cell was just in case—”

“In case you needed to kill me, but you can’t! I know! I tried!” Bruce yelled. Ami gasped, looking up as her eyes changed back to their normal gold-and-brown.

“Bruce,” she said quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“I got low,” he began in a normal voice. “I didn’t see and end, so I put a bullet in my mouth, and the other guy spit it out! So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good, until you dragged me back into this freak show, and put everyone here at risk!” He exclaimed, knocking Ami’s hand off of his shoulder and looking at her accusingly. Ami looked down at her feet.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, not that anyone would have listened.

“You wanna know my secret, Agent Jones? You wanna know how I stay calm?” He asked.

“Dr. Banner, put down the scepter,” Fury ordered. Ami looked up, tears welling up in her vision, to see Bruce staring at the scepter in his hand in shock. The computer across the room beeped.

“Got it,” Tony said calmly, referring to the Tesseract. Bruce put the scepter back on the counter and walked over to the computer screen.

“Sorry, kids. You don’t get to see my party trick after all.

“You’ve located the Tesseract?” Thor asked.

“I can get there faster,” Tony said.

“Look, all of us—” Steve began.

“The Tesseract belongs on Asgard. No human is a match for it!” Thor said.

“You’re not going alone!” Steve said, grabbing Tony’s arm as he turned to leave.

“You gonna stop me?” Tony asked, batting his hand away.

“Put on the suit; let’s find out!”

“I’m not afraid to hit an old man,” Tony warned.

“Put on the suit,” Steve ordered.

“Guys! Calm down!” Ami said, stepping over to break them apart.

“Oh my God,” Bruce said suddenly. An explosion rocked the room, throwing everyone in different directions.

“Put on the suit!” Steve said as all of the Avengers stood to their feet as an explosion shook the Helicarrier.

“Yep!” Tony called back as they hurried out of the room. Thor and Ami took off to help with damage control. She could only hope that Natasha was alright after that fall, and that Bruce didn’t Hulk-out afterwards. A loud roar quickly dispelled that thought.

“Darn, and here I was having  _such_  a good day,” she exclaimed as she lifted a crate off of an agent.

“You do not like this, Ami?” Thor asked with a grin.

“I don’t generally like fighting. Or explosions. Or people trying to invade.”

“You are strange, Ami.”

“I know. Hey!” she yelped suddenly as someone ran right past her, nearly knocking her over in the process.

“Sorry!” Steve called over his shoulder as he took off down a hallway. Ami shook her head and mentally searched the ship for Natasha.

“Thor, you good here? I’m going to go find ‘Tasha.”

“Go. I will take care of things here.”

“By ‘things,’ do you mean Bruce?” Thor tilted his head and shrugged.

“Possibly.”

“Well, don’t kill him, and I’ll be fine.” With that, Ami popped over to where Steve was fighting some agents while Tony tried to clear the fan blades. “Hey, Stark, want some help?” Ami asked into her comlink.

“No, thanks.”

“Are you sure? Because Steve has the mechanical aptitude of a hamster.”

“Hey!” Steve cried out in protest.

“True. Okay, pull that red lever in about two seconds.”

“Got it. And, Steve, you know it’s true!” She jumped over to the ledge where the lever was located and put a force field around herself and the lever. “Ready when you are, Stark.”

“I needed that about five seconds ago!” Ami pulled down hard and was relieved when Stark flew out from the fan blades only slightly worse for wear.

“I think you might need a tune up,” she said while motioning to Tony’s sputtering propulsion rockets.

“Yeah, but we might be able to work this into the plan.” Tony, Steve, and Ami made their way back into the Helicarrier to formulate a plan. They were met with a solemn, or more solemn than usual, Nick Fury.

“Director Fury, what’s happened?” Ami asked.

“Phil Coulson in dead.” Ami took a slight step back.

“Loki?” she whispered as she sat down.

“Yeah.” Ami tuned him out for a moment while she processed the information. She only returned to the present when Tony got up and walked out. Steve followed him while Ami went to check on Clint and Natasha, who had been fighting while she was helping Steve and Tony.

“How is he?” she asked when she got into the room where Natasha and Clint were.

“He’s fighting it.”

“Has Fury told you about Coulson?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“I think it finally got Steve and Tony to work together. I think we’re actually going to go somewhere with this whole ‘Avengers’ thing.”

“I’m glad.”

“Me too.”


	8. The Battle for New York

“Where’s Banner? Has he shown up yet?” Tony asked over the comlink as the group started to fight. “He’s late.”

“The minute I see him, I’ll let you know,” Ami replied as she shot ice at one Chitarri and fire at another, not bothering to hide her powers. “By the way, Stark, any idea how to take out these—what are they called—I’m calling them leviathans?”

“Workin’ on it. Keep me posted.”

“Ami, three coming up on your left,” Hawkeye said calmly. She didn’t even turn towards them; she pointed her hand towards them and snapped her fingers. The explosion was close behind it.

“Nice call, Barton. Anything else?”

“Stark and Thor are taking down a squadron on Fourth.”

“And they didn’t ask me,” she muttered, popping over there. “Hi, guys,” she said as she threw a warrior over her shoulder towards the ground. “I’m glad to see you two settled your differences.”

“Very funny, Jones,” Tony answered.

“I try to be, Stark,” she said. “Hey, Thor, got anymore lighting in that thing?” she asked.

“Of course.”

“Shoot it over this way,” she said, motioning towards where they were standing.

“Um, earth to Ami, but that’s how people get electrocuted!” Tony pointed out.

“I know, but we can all fly here,” she answered. “Now, light ‘em up, Thunderer!” The three of them scattered as Thor’s lightning bolts hit the ship and blew it and all of the aliens on it to pieces.

“Nice call, Jones,” Hawkeye commented.

“No problem, Barton.”

“Black Widow, Cap and I are fighting down towards Grand Central if you want to head there.”

“Oh, I’m  _so_  there!” She popped over to them. “Hey, guys,” she said, sending a slew of spikes at some of the Chitauri and snapping, making them explode.

“Ami,” the three chorused.

“Just to let you know, Loki’s terrorizing the natives coming up this way,” she pointed out.

“Those people need assistance,” Cap said.

“We got this,” Natasha said. “It’s good. Go!”

“You think you can hold them off?” he asked Clint.

“Captain,” Hawkeye said, hitting a button on his bow, “it would be my genuine pleasure.”

“I don’t think we’ve got a chance,” Ami said seriously, “but I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she finished. The three covered Cap as he ran down the street.

“Just like Budapest all over again!” Natasha said to the two of them.

“You and I remember Budapest very differently!” Ami and Clint replied. The “Avengers,” as they called themselves, regrouped after a few more minutes in front of Grand Central Station.

“What’s the story upstairs?” Cap asked.

“The power surrounding the cube is impenetrable,” Thor replied.

“Thor’s right,” Tony said as he flew over them. “We gotta deal with these guys.”

“How do we do this?” Natasha asked.

“As a team,” Cap replied.

“I have unfinished business with Loki,” Thor said.

“Yeah? Get in line?” Clint replied.

“Save it,” Cap cut in. “Loki’s gonna keep this fight focused on us, and that’s what we need. Without him, these things could run wild. We got Stark up top; he’s gonna need us to—“ Just then, Bruce arrived on a small motorcycle and got off. He looked around at the destruction the Chitauri had caused before walking to the group.

“So, this all seems horrible,” he said.

“I’ve seen worse,” Natasha said.

“Sorry,” Bruce apologized sheepishly.

“No, we could use a little worse.”

“Stark, we got ‘im.” Cap told Tony.

“Banner?” Tony asked.

“Just like you said.”

“Then tell him to suit up. I’m bringing the party to you.” He flew around the edge of a skyscraper at the end of the street, followed by two leviathan.

“I don’t see how that’s a party,” Natasha said. Bruce turned and looked at it before walking towards the monster, Ami right on his heels.

“Dr. Banner,” Steve said, “Now might be a good time for you to get angry.”

“That’s my secret, Cap,” Bruce said, looking at him over his shoulder. “I’m always angry.” He looked over at Ami in confusion.

“You wanted to know  _my_  secret, Bruce?” Ami asked. “Here is it.” She faced the leviathan head on, a red aura surrounding her body. As she charged it, her body began to morph. By the time she reached the creature, she was no longer herself. She was a red, raven, and ivory monster with blood red eyes, sharp fangs, leathery red and black wings, and vicious claws. With a savage roar, she attacked the leviathan, tearing and ripping as she went. While she did that, Bruce faced the leviathan and turned into the Hulk, slamming his fist into its nose, causing it to crash and begin to fall forwards. Tony used some of his missiles to blow up the rest of the monster while the others ducked. After the smoke cleared, the group looked up to the sky, where more soldiers and leviathans were exiting the portal. Bruce and Ami landed next to the group, grinning at each other the only way the two’s monsters could.

“Call it, Cap,” Tony said.

“Alright, listen up. Until we can close that portal up there, we’re gonna use containment. Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash.” Clint looked at Tony as he got ready to take off.

“Wanna give me a lift?” he asked.

“Right. Better clench up, Legolas,” Tony said, grabbing the back of Clint’s shirt and taking off.

“Thor, you’ve gotta try and bottleneck that portal. Slow them down. You’ve got the lightning; light the dimwits up.” As Thor took off, Cap turned to Natasha. “You and me, we stay here on the ground, keep the fighting here. Hulk?” Hulk turned to Steve with a grunt. “Smash,” he said seriously. Hulk grinned before leaping off. Ami growled. “You got a name too?” Steve asked.

“[Chaos](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/23/53/8d/23538d80a8e5b35564d2463199d0e9b0--kingdom-hearts-final-fantasy.jpg),” the monster growled out.

“Tear ‘em a new one.” With a nod, Chaos took to the skies, attacking with ferocity that rivalled Hulk.

“I can close it!” Natasha said into the comlink after several minutes of radio silence. “Does anybody copy? I can close the portal!”

“Then do it!” Steve ordered.

“Hang on,” Tony cut in.

“Stark, these things are still coming,” Steve said.

“You guys, I’ve got a missile headed straight for the city. And I know just where to put it,” Stark said.

“Stark, you know that’s a one way trip,” Steve said to him.

“If we don’t do this, lots of people are going to die.”

As he said that, Stark and the missile flew into the portal. Everyone waited for him to come back. Even the monsters were still and silent.

“Close it,” Steve said after several minutes. Natasha didn’t question him; she shoved the scepter into the shield and destroyed the source of the portal. Just as the portal closed, Tony flew out of the sky.

“He’s not slowing down,” Thor said. He began to spin his hammer to take off before Hulk came out of nowhere and grabbed him before he hit the ground. Chaos landed next to Hulk as he put the billionaire down, growling in congratulations. Steve ripped the mask off of the suit, revealing Tony’s still face, his eyes closed. No movement came from the man. Hulk roared suddenly, and Tony’s eyes flew open.

“Whoo! What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me,” he said. Steve shook his head and sat back, looking around.

“We won.”

“Whoo! Yay, okay, good job, team. Let’s just not come in tomorrow. Hey, you ever heard of shwarma? There’s a shwarma joint about two blocks from here. I don’t know what it is, but I wanna try it.”

“We’re not done yet,” Steve said. Tony nodded in realization. The Avengers gathered inside Stark Tower, where Loki was recovering from Hulk’s “handshake.”

“If it’s all the same to you,” Loki said quietly, “I’ll have that drink now.” Ami, who had changed back into herself, smirked as he received the death-glare from six angry adults who almost died protecting the world.

“I don’t think that offer still stands,” she said with barely concealed laughter.


	9. The Mission

Ami waved animatedly as Thor took both Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard. She received a nod in response from Thor and a glare from Loki as they disappeared into the sky. Clint and Natasha went off in one car while Tony and Bruce left in another. Steve and Ami took off for Ami’s house on Steve’s motorcycle. By the time they reached the house, it was dark outside. “Up here, Steve,” she said over her shoulder as he set his motorcycle up for the night. She led him upstairs and into a room. “This is yours,” she told him as she motioned him inside. The minute she had heard that he was still alive, she had come home and gotten a room ready for him to stay in, assuming he wanted to live with her. It had bright blue walls covered in army posters and pictures of her, Steve, and Bucky from before the war. She had put some “Captain America” posters up too. The bed had an American flag bedspread on it, adding to the overall patriotism of the room.

“Wow, Ami, you didn’t have to do this,” Steve said quietly, looking at the pictures.

“I know, but I wanted to. You don’t  _have_  to stay here, just until you find a place of your own is fine. I talked to Pepper earlier, and she said that she’s already working on the floor plan for ‘Avengers Tower,’ as she’s calling it. Basically like a big dormitory for all you superheroes to stay in. You’ll all have your own floors, from what she told me.”

“No, this is fine. This is feels like home and has a more caring taste to it. Thank you.”

“No problem. The bathroom’s through that door. It’s a Jack-and-Jill one, so it leads to another bedroom, but no one’s in that one. I took Mom and Dad’s room after a while.”

“Who’s the other one for?” Steve asked, turning to look at her. Ami avoided his gaze and stared at the floor while shifting her weight from foot to foot. “Ami,” Steve said in a sad tone.

“Well, you know, I—I just thought that, since you were okay, it was better to be safe than sorry, you know? I know he didn’t have the stuff you did, but, well—“

“Ami, you don’t have to explain to me. I understand.” Steve came and hugged her tightly, which she returned just as strongly. “Can I go see it?” he asked afterwards.

“Sure.” They walked through the bathroom into the other room. This one was painted a dark shade of green and was also covered in different posters of popular bands and pictures of the trio.

“All of his favorites,” Steve muttered.

“Yeah. Took me forever to get some of those posters, but I finally did.” Ami stood in the doorway and smiled fondly at the room. “I even went over to your houses to get some of this stuff. Your parents left everything to me when they died.” Her voice was getting quieter and quieter.

“Where is all our stuff?” Steve asked. “Do you still have it?”

“Of course. It’s in the attic. Your stuff has your name; Bucky’s has his. Why don’t you go look at it tomorrow? We’ve had a long week, and you look like you’re about to crash.” To prove her point, Steve let out a huge yawn.

“I guess you’re right. Good night, Ami.”

“Night, Steve.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ami came home, yawning so big that her jaw ached. Her door closed with a click. She locked the door and dumped her bag and jacket on the hallway table. Stumbling tiredly up the stairs, she barely managed to change into her night clothes before collapsing onto her bed. Today had been a long day of training with ‘Tasha and Clint, helping Pepper keep Tony in line, and having conversations with Bruce and Steve. In short, healing factor or not, she was exhausted and needed a good night’s sleep. She was just about to drift off when she heard a noise. It was soft, barely noticeable even with her enhanced hearing, but it didn’t belong in the house. Steve was at Avengers’ tower tonight, so it wasn’t him. Without a sound, she slid out of bed and down the hall. It happened again; a quiet creak of a stair sounded through the house. She turned invisible and pressed herself into the wall. A figure, silhouetted by the night, crept up the stairs so quietly that a normal human wouldn’t have heard him. She watched him sneak down the hall and stop at her bedroom door. He seemed shocked that she wasn’t in her bed sound asleep before leaving quietly out the back door. She turned visible again and sank onto her bed, her heart racing. “Who was that?” she asked before drifting into a light sleep, ready to awake at the first sign of danger. Luckily, the man didn’t return.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

“Steve, what’s going on? I just got a call from Natasha that said Director Fury was shot in your apartment last night! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, Ami.”

“Who shot him?”

“I don’t know. He had a metal arm. That’s all I know. Fury said to not trust anyone. I’m going to go underground for a bit.”

“Let me help you, Steve.”

“No, Ami. It’s too dangerous. You might get hurt.”

“You say to the person with a healing factor. Please?” Steve sighed. Ami grinned. She knew that when Steve sighed, he was going to say yes.

“Fine. But you have to do everything I tell you to. Don’t question me. If I tell you to run, you run. Got it?”

“No. I’m with you till the end of the line, Steve. I’m not letting you do this on your own.”

“You’re stubborn, you know that Jones?”

“I’m very aware of it. Clint tells me that all the time. Where am I meeting you?”

“The hospital. I have something to get.”

“I’ll be there in ten.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Ami](https://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=225088640) walked into the hospital as Steve and Natasha walked out. Natasha reached out and caught her arm, dragging her with them as they climbed into her car. “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere neutral to find out what’s on this drive,” Steve said, handing her a USB drive. Ami turned it over in her hands.

“Did Fury give this to you?”

“Yeah.”

“Does it tell you who killed him?”

“No, but Natasha has an idea of who it might be,” Steve said.

“Most people don’t believe he exists. Those that do call him the ‘Winter Soldier,’” Natasha explained as she drove through traffic. “He’s been blamed for more than two hundred murders in the last fifty years.”

“So, this guy is either like me, or he’s being frozen like Steve?” Ami asked.

“Let’s hope it’s the later of the two. This guy needs to be taken out,” Steve said.

“I’m in,” Ami said, patting his shoulder. “I’ve had your back for over seventy years. I’m not going to stop now.” Steve smiled and nodded.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

“I know this place,” Steve said, looking around the abandoned military base.

“Isn’t this the place you trained at?” Ami asked.

“Yeah. But something’s not right.”

“Well, whoever was here must have used a portal internet source,” Natasha said. “There’s nothing here.”

“No, something’s here. That building’s in the wrong place,” Steve said, pointing to a building built into the ground.

“A lot has changed in seventy years, Cap,” Natasha said.

“No, army regulations state that munitions storage must be five hundred yards from the camp. This building’s not supposed to be here,” Steve said, breaking the padlock on the door with his shield.

“Oh, we are definitely getting a breaking-and-entering charge for this,” Ami said as they walked into the dark room.

“I’m sure you could get out of it,” Natasha said.

“Me? Maybe. You two? Not so much.” Steve flipped on a light, illuminating abandoned tabled and chairs, along with three pictures on the wall.

“Peggy Carter, Howard Stark, Colonel Phillips,” Steve said, looking at the pictures.

“This must be where SHIELD started,” Ami said quietly.

“I’d like to think that we’ve improved,” Natasha said, looking a bit disgusted at the old-fashioned set-up. Steve walked around until he began pulling on a bookcase.

“Uh, Stevie, what are you doing?” Ami asked.

“If you’re already working in a hidden bunker,” Steve said, pulling away the bookcase, “why do you need to hide the elevator?” Sure enough, there was an elevator hidden behind the bookcase.

“I’ll bet you my old Louis Armstrong records that Peggy didn’t know this was here,” Ami said.

“Keep ‘em,” Steve said. “I like those.” He and Natasha headed towards the elevator, but Ami hung back. “You coming, Ami?” Steve asked. Ami shook her head.

“No, I’ll stay up here. If this turns out to be the trap I think it is, you two will need back up. I’ll be right here within thinking distance.”

“Okay. Be safe,” Steve said before entering the elevator with Natasha. When they were gone, Ami wandered around the other rooms nearby. She stumbled onto the records room, where hundreds of filing cabinets stood. When Ami pulled out one of the drawers, she saw that they still had files in them.

“Oh, now this isn’t suspicious at all,” she mumbled. She began looking through them, her super speed helping. What she found shocked her. “These aren’t SHIELD files,” she whispered. “These are Hydra!” With speed that rivaled the speed of sound, she began looking through them with new-found fervor. Grabbing what she thought was important and leaving what wasn’t, she stuffed them in her backpack she had on and hurried back to the elevator room. The elevator came back up, but no one was in it. “Uh-oh,” Ami said.

_Steve, are you okay?_

_No, I’m not! Ami, you have to get out of here right now!_

_Uh-uh. I am not leaving you two!_

_We’ll be fine, just hide the car!_

_But, Steve—_

_Go!_  With reluctant feet, she ran outside and pushed the truck that Steve had “borrowed” into the woods away from the compound and covered up the tracks. Then, she hid in the truck bed and watched the camp. An explosion suddenly rocked the world.

“Steve!” she yelped before covering her mouth and turning herself and the car invisible. She prayed that her friends had made it out alive. After several minutes of waiting in agony, she heard hurried footsteps.

“Start the car, Ami!” Steve called, running through the forest. Turning both visible again, Ami jumped into the driver’s seat and cranked the car. Steve helped a bleeding Natasha in before climbing in and slamming the door. “Go!” he ordered. Ami hurriedly backed up and sped away from the still-burning camp.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, but Natasha got a pretty bad hit.”

“’Tasha, I’m going to need you to stop bleeding all over this nice person’s interior. I don’t think they’d appreciate us ruining their car, although they have been so nice in letting up use it,” Ami said, earning a tired smile from Natasha. “Hey, Steve, check my bag,” Ami said, keeping her eyes on the road. “I found some files while I was looking around, but they weren’t from SHIELD. Someone from Hydra had been using that base.”

“Yeah, I know,” Steve said.

“Wait, how?”

“Arnim Zola. He left a kind of message for me. He said that he kept Hydra going from inside S.H.I.E.L.D. He’s worked to destroy everything that Peggy and Howard tried to create from the very beginning.” Ami reached over and patted his knee.

“Don’t worry, Steve. We’ll stop him. Now, where am I going?”

“I think I know just the place.”


	10. The Winter Soldier

“Steve, are you okay?” Ami asked, ducking behind a car with Natasha, who had made a remarkable recovery. The Winter Soldier had killed their “hostage” they were using for information on what Hydra was planning on doing right before he destroyed Sam’s car. Sam was a friend of Steve’s that he had met while running one morning, and he had been more than willing to help Steve, Ami, and Natasha in their mission.

“Yeah, I’m fine. You?”

“Just great. I love being shot at by assassin! It’s my favorite past-time!”

“No need for sarcasm, Ami,” Sam said, looking at them. Ami peeked under the car and saw the Soldier’s feet heading their way.

“Incoming,” she said, looking at her companions. She yanked Natasha behind the car that Sam was using for cover as the other one blew up. “Hey, Steve, you got a plan? We’re running out of cover here!”

“Just one,” he answered. “When I say run, run.”

“Where?”

“Away from here. I have an idea.” Ami grumbled under her breath a bit.

“Fine, but if we die, I’m never speaking to you again,” she said to her friend, who smiled at her.

“Okay, go!” Steve said. Ami, Natasha, and Sam stood up to run while Steve stood up with his shield held in front of him. A shot was fired, but the Soldier wasn’t using a normal gun.

“Grenade!” Ami yelled, grabbing Natasha and throwing a barrier up around them. Unfortunately, she didn’t do it fast enough, and Steve was thrown over the edge. “Steve!” Ami cried, going over to the edge of the overpass to look for her friend.

“Hey, he’s fine. We’ve got to go!” Sam said, grabbing her arm.

“No, I refuse to leave him! I lost him once; I don’t plan to again!”

“Ami, we have to deal with these guys,” Natasha said. Ami looked over her shoulder to see the Winter Soldier heading for them, four other guys in tow. Five others rappelled down over the side of the bridge, armed to the teeth.

“Sam, how many can you take?” Ami asked.

“On my best day? About two.”

“’Tasha, that leaves the two of us with the rest.”

“You plan on taking on the Winter Soldier?” Natasha asked, looking threateningly at the approaching men.

“Not really. I’m not that good, but if I have to, I will.” Ami reached down and pulled a knife out of her boot. “I guess those lessons of yours really do stick,” Ami answered to Natasha’s questioning glance. With that, the four other men attacked. The trio defended themselves valiantly, but Natasha was forced to swing down on one the men down below’s ropes. The Winter Soldier got a gun and waited for her to run out on the other side.

“Hey, Ami! A little help here?” Sam asked when he was cornered by four men. With a flick of her wrist, all four went down. In answer to his unspoken question, she smirked.

“Hello, my name is Amiara Jones, and I’m a mutant.”

“Hi, Amiara,” Sam said, picking up one of the men’s guns.

“Cover Steve, will you?” she asked before picking up a patrol stick that another man had. “Really? What is this?  _Night at the Museum_? Who even carries these things anymore?” she asked, hitting one of the men in the head with it when he started to come-to. Sam grinned at her while Ami advanced on where the Soldier was waiting to pick off her friend. As silent as a cat, she crept up behind him. She swung down, but he turned around suddenly and caught her arm. She masked her shock with a glare. “I’d really appreciate it if you wouldn’t kill my friends,” she said, kicking him in the shin. With a grunt, he let go of her arm but brought his other hand up to punch her. She barely dodged before jumping over the edge. She landed next to Steve on the ground. “Hi, I’ve met your friend,” she said, glancing up as the Winter Soldier followed her down, stepping threateningly down the car, if that was physically possible. “I don’t think I like him.”

“Well, we’ll just have to dismiss the man then, won’t we?” Steve asked, playing along.

“I will gladly show him the door, Stevie,” Ami answered, ducking behind a nearby car before blending in with the frantic crowd. The fight that the three got into left Ami feeling winded, and that was  _with_  her healing factor. She wasn't that great of a fighter, but she managed to keep Steve from getting killed with a few cleverly-timed flicks of her hand. Steve finally flipped the Soldier over his head, and the man landed in a roll. Ami rushed to Steve's side, ready to help him if necessary. The man stood up and turned to face them. Ami's stomach hit the floor. It couldn't be. He'd died. She'd buried him next to his dad. There was no way.

"Bucky?"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Steve, look out!” Ami cried, blocking a flying something as it hurtled towards him with a force field.

“Thanks, Ami,” he said as he grabbed his shield from when he had thrown it at Bucky. She jumped onto Bucky’s back and held on tight.

“Run!” she yelled at Steve, who staggered over to where he was to insert a chip that would destroy Project Insight, HYDRA’s plan to take out any threat that might endanger their rise to power, from newborn babes to the oldest person alive. Steve, Ami, Natasha, and Sam, a man Steve had met while running one day, had to destroy three Helicarriers before they destroyed several thousand people. This was proving to be difficult because HYDRA had sent the Winter Soldier, who really was Bucky, to stop them. Now, for most, this would have been easy; but he’s the Winter freakin’ Soldier! He’s one of the most deadly assassins that ever lived. That’s a far cry from a boy from Brooklyn that helped Captain America in World War II.

“Shoot it down,” Steve told Agent Maria Hill through his comlink.

“Get out of there, and I will.”

“There’s no time. Just do it!” he ordered. Explosions rocked the ship as its motors disintegrated, sending it and the other two Helicarriers falling into the river below. The force knocked Ami off of the Soldier. When she landed, she hit her head sharply on a piece of fallen metal.

“Ami!” Steve yelled at her. She sat up, shaking her head to clear the stars that had formed in her vision. Oh wait, that was just Steve crouching in front of her; but why were there so many of him?

“I—I’m fine. Where’s Buck?”

“Right there. Some metal fell on him; he’s stuck.”

“For the love of milk and cookies, Steve! Why aren’t you helping him?” She stood up, probably not the best idea right now, but, hey, healing factor. Ami pulled him over to where Bucky was pinned and grabbed onto a side of the debris. Her strength already depleted, she and Steve grunted as they lifted, while the Soldier struggled to get the metal off of him enough to get out. With a short cry of victory, he wiggled out as Ami and Steve dropped the metal with groans. “Okay, ow,” Ami said, running a hand through her now-messed-up ponytail. When she pulled her hand back, there was blood on it. “Oh great, looks like I’ve managed to seriously injure myself again,” she said in a fake-happy voice. “Look, Stevie, I’m bleeding!”

“That’s great, Ami,” he said, knowing she was just joking because of her healing factor.

“Why?” the Solider asked, glaring at the two of them.

“Because you know us,” Steve said, standing up.

“No, I don’t!” he yelled, hitting him with a blow that Ami called half-hearted. He was already limited to using his metal arm because Steve had pulled his right shoulder out of its socket. Steve stumbled back a bit from the hit, but remained upright.

“Bucky, you’ve known us your entire life. Your name is James Buchanan Barnes—“

“Shut up!” he said, hitting him again. Steve took the blow and stepped back again.

“I’m not gonna fight you. You’re my friend.” He dropped his shield through a hole in the floor.

“Oh, Howard would’ve killed you for that one,” Ami said to herself, watching the shield disappear.

“Shut up!” the Soldier yelled, tackling Steve and punching him mercilessly with his metal arm.

“Stop!” Ami exclaimed, running over to them and trying to pull Bucky off of Steve.

“You’re my mission! You are my mission!” he kept saying, ignoring Ami’s frantic pulls on his other arm.

“Then finish it,” Steve said, causing all of their actions to halt. Ami let go of the Soldier’s arm and stared at the two. She took in Steve’s beaten and bloody face, looking just like he did all those years ago when they were just Steve, Bucky, and Ami, and Steve was a punk (nickname courtesy of Bucky) and never backed down from a fight. “’Cause I’m with you ‘til the end of the line.” The Soldier took on a look of horror, his fist lowering slightly. An explosion rocked the ship again and sent Steve flying off the edge of the Helicarrier. Bucky managed to grab onto a piece of metal sticking out of the ship, but Ami wasn’t nearly as lucky as either of them. She hit her head again on another piece of debris and then fell off the side of the ship. She saw Steve hit the water a minute before she did, but in the darkness of the water, she couldn’t find him. All she saw was his discarded shield. Ami managed to grab that before hurrying to the top, her lungs begging for air. She broke the surface of the water, gasping for air. The shore seemed so far away, but, in reality, it was only about fifteen yards. She made it to the shore before collapsing onto the rocks, coughing and gasping for air while looking desperately for any sign of Steve. Heck, she’d be happy to see the Winter Soldier right now! Then, she saw something she never thought she’d see. The Winter Soldier was plodding through the water towards the shore, dragging an unconscious Captain America behind him. He set him down near Ami, looking worse for wear. The Soldier merely looked at Ami before taking off in the opposite direction. Sam and Natasha arrived not too much later, an emergency team in tow.

“You okay?” Natasha asked, seeing all the blood on her head.

“Yeah, I’m fine. The cuts have healed up by now. The Winter Soldier was here earlier. You just missed your ‘ghost.’”

“Are you going to go after him?” Sam asked.

“No. If he wants to come back, he will when he’s ready. Forcing myself on him will not help any. If he wants to trust us and come back, he will.” The three took Steve to the hospital and waited patiently for him to wake up. It was a long, agonizing week for Ami.


	11. The AI

Ami laughed as Clint jibed Thor about his hammer. “The whole hammer thing. It’s a trick isn’t it?” Clint asked, smiling.

“Oh, it’s much more than that,” Thor said, laughter filling his voice.

“Whosoever be he worthy, shall have the power of Thor,” Clint said in a very good Asgardian accent before scoffing. ”Whatever, man! It’s a trick!”

“Please,” Thor said, gesturing to his hammer that was sitting on the table, “Be my guest.”

“And what are the terms for being ‘worthy?’” Ami asked. Thor shrugged.

“I don’t know them myself.”

“Wait, so the hammer picks who gets to wield it?” Tony asked. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Well, why don’t you try, Stark?” Ami challenged.

“I will!” he stated, standing up and grabbing the handle. He even tried to use part of his Iron Man suit to lift it. Ami watched in amusement as all of the men tried to lift it. Tony enlisted the help of his friend Rhodey to try to pick it up, to no avail. Steve, Bruce, and Clint all tried. It moved a bit when Steve grabbed it, causing Thor to get a worried look on his face, but it didn’t move after that. Maria Hill and Natasha stated that that wasn’t a question that they needed answered. “It’s a biometrics, right?” Tony asked, not admitting defeat. “Like a security code? ‘Whoever is carrying Thor’s fingerprints’ is, I think, the literal translation.”

“Yes, well, that’s a very, very interesting theory,” Thor said, standing up and looking at everyone as he picked his hammer up. “I have a simpler one.” He spun the hammer in his hand. “You are all not worthy.” People started laughing while Thor put the hammer back down.

“Hey, wait, Ami didn’t try,” Rhodey said, pointing at her.

“Why don’t you try it, Ami?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, you’re the only one who hasn’t,” Clint added.

“I don’t want to,” she stated simply.

“Go ahead, Ami,” Thor said, motioning to his hammer.

“It won’t bite,” Clint teased.

“Can it, Barton,” she shot back. The others continued to encourage her to at least try to lift the hammer. “Fine!” Ami stood up and went over to Mjolnir. She wrapped her hand around the handle and half-heartedly gripped it. “I still don’t want to,” she muttered.

“You’re going to have to grip it harder, Ami,” Thor instructed from his seat. “It’ll fall out of your hand if you hold it like that.”

“Nothing’s going to happen,” Ami muttered, but she tightened her grip anyway. She spread her legs a bit in case her grip slipped and she lost her balance. With that, she tightened her muscles and started to pull. She met no resistance and landed on the couch, hammer in hand. She stared at the hammer, wide-eyed, along with the rest of the group. “Thor, that’s not funny,” she said, glaring at the Asgardian.

“That is not my doing, Ami,” he replied, shock clearly written on his face.

“Then, how—?”

“It would appear that Amiara has been deemed worthy,” Bruce said quietly.

“Take it,” she said, placing Mjolnir back in Thor’s hands. “It belongs to you, anyway. I don’t want it.”

“Maybe that’s why you’re worthy,” Steve said quietly to her. “Because you don’t want the power the hammer would give you.”

“Maybe you’re right, Stevie,” she answered just as quietly, shifting down into the seat next to him and sitting quietly. Suddenly, a loud, high-pitched beep filled the air, causing everyone to look around. Ami got a bad feeling in her gut. “Guys—” she said nervously, standing up. A misconfigured robot stood in the middle of the lower level of the room. It seemed to be talking to itself.

“Worthy?” it asked. “No.” The others turned to where the voice came from. “How could you be worthy? You’re all killers.” Steve stood slightly in front of her, ready to protect her if something attacked. “I was asleep,” the robot continued.

“J.A.R.V.I.S.?” Tony called, but there was no answer from the very helpful AI of Tony’s.

“I was tangled in strings,” the robot continued to speak. “I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy.”

“You killed someone?” Steve asked, looking back to where the robot probably came from and where his shield currently was. There was no way he would be able to get to it if the robot attacked, but Ami knew he was perfectly capable of protecting himself without it.

“Who sent you?” Thor asked, gripping his hammer tightly. Ami’s muscles tensed when Tony’s voice seemed to come out of nowhere and Bruce’s voice called out the robot’s name: Ultron.

“I’m on a mission,” the robot said.

“What’s the mission?” Ami asked, her fingers twitching, ready to summon her ice if needed.

“Peace of our time,” Ultron answered. With that, more robots exploded through a wall and began to attack.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

“Tony Stark, what did you  _do_?” Ami practically growled as she and the Avengers stood staring at the destroyed remains of Ultron’s body.

“Hey, it wasn’t just me!” Tony protested.

“Okay, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner,  _what_ did you  _do_?” she repeated.

“We may or may not have made an artificial intelligence,” Bruce said quietly.

“And I may or may not be extremely upset with you,” Ami replied, fists clenching and unclenching as she tried not to hit either one of them.

“Ami, calm down,” Steve said from his spot next to her.

“No!” she snapped, glaring at the two scientists in the room. “You,” she said as she pointed at Tony, “and you,” she pointed at Bruce now, “are going to figure out a way to fix this.”

“Right away,” Tony said, eyes wide at the sight of her anger. Bruce stammered something before nodding submissively.

“And just to let you know, I am going to be  _very_  mad at you two until we fix this, and even a bit afterwards.” With that, she stalked off, Steve at her heels.

“Ami, calm down,” Steve said, hurrying to catch up with her.

“Tell me that when we  _didn’t_  just get threatened by an artificial intelligence!” she replied.

“What are you going to do about it?” he asked.

“I’ve got no idea, but I’m going to have to fix his mess, and you know I will!” she replied, going to the lab in Avengers’ Tower. “Okay, so, is J.A.R.V.I.S. okay?” she asked. Tony pointed to the mass of blue light in the middle of the room. It looked like something that had been torn to shreds. “Oh no, not J.A.R.V.I.S. Why on earth would Ultron destroy your AI?”

“He thought he was a threat,” Bruce guessed. “He tried to suppress Ultron from taking over, so he took him out of the equation.”

“We need to figure out what he’s planning,” Steve said.

“I would guess something that would get rid of the Avengers,” Ami said. “He made it pretty clear that he didn’t like us. I can try to look into his ‘brain’ and figure out what he’s doing, but there’s no guarantees.”

“Do that,” Steve said. “The rest of us will find out where he went.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Suit up,“ Steve said to Ami, standing in the doorway to her room in Avengers‘ Tower. “We’re going to Wakanda.“

“Why?“

“Ultron’s going for the strongest metal on earth,“ Steve answered.

“Vibranium,“ Ami finished, dragging her duffel bag out from under her bed that held her all-black outfit that she wore on missions. “Okay, I’ll meet you all in the hangar. Be there in ten.“ Steve left, and she changed in three minutes flat. In ten minutes on the dot, she was in the hangar and waiting for Clint to show up. “Hurry up, old man!“ Ami yelled teasingly at Hawkeye once he appeared in the hangar doorway.

“Shut up, Amiara!“ he replied, hurrying past her and into the Quinjet. She smiled at Steve and Natasha as she boarded; Bruce was in his own little world with his headphones on; Tony was being Tony and ignoring everybody. Thor gave her a booming welcome and a slap on the back, almost sending her flying across the ship. Ami sat down next to Steve. The Quinjet landed off to the side from an old ship yard on a beach in the middle of nowhere. Sand stretched for miles in almost every direction. Behind them, a jungle loomed, dark and foreboding.

“This the place?“ Hawkeye asked, peeking out of the front window.

“Yep. If somebody wanted to get vibranium, especially cheaply and illegally, this is where they’d get it,“ Tony answered.

“Okay, Banner, you stay back. Don’t want you freaking out on us just yet,“ Ami said, going into her battle mode, the unfortunate affect of living around the Avengers for so long. “‘Tasha, you‘re with me. Stark, Thor, Cap, you three go down and introduce yourselves. Barton, go do what you do best.“

“And what would that be?“ Stark asked, an amused look on his face.

“Lurking,“ Ami answered before heading down the off-ramp, Natasha in tow.

“I fail to see the need for all of this. Can we not just end him?“ Thor asked.

“No. He’s in the electronic network. He’d just resurface somewhere else. Hey, Steve, any chance that your friends from that Hydra base that you took down a few days ago are here?“

“Possibly, but I don’t know. Nothing’s for certain right now.“

“Got it. Look out for two super-twins. One fast, one smart.“

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

“Um, guys? We have a situation,“ Ami said.

“What’s wrong, Ami?“ Clint asked.

“I think the girl got to Cap. I can’t snap him out of it.“

“Yeah, she got ‘Tasha and Thor, too.“

“What about you? Are you okay?“

“Yeah, I’m not a fan of the whole mind-control thing. Her brother came and took her away.“ A roar filled the air.

“Um, Tony. We have a code green, I’m pretty sure,“ Ami said.

“Yeah, got it.“

“You want me to try to stop the twins?“ Ami asked.

“You can try, but I don’t know how much good that’s going to do,“ Tony said.

“I have to at least try.“ With that, Ami ran through the boat, landing outside and in front of the twins who were resting outside. “Let him go,“ she said, glaring at the girl. “Let all of them go.“

“I can’t. It doesn’t work like that,“ she said, an accent thick in her voice.

“Then I guess I’m going to have to settle for you,“ Ami said, her eyes flashing red. The girl waved her hand, obviously trying to get into Ami’s head. “Trying to do to me what you did to them? It won’t work. I‘m like you, sister.“ She ducked the boy’s punch just as fast as he threw it.

“Don’t call her that,“ he growled.

“Deal. What’d you do to them anyway? Make them see their biggest fears? No need. I’ll tell you mine. That I’ll end up all alone and hated because of the monster I have. I’m scared that everyone I’ve come to love and care about will hate and fear me forever.“ The twins looked confused that she had shared her biggest fear with them after they had attacked her friends. “We aren’t the bad guys here,“ Ami said. “And neither are you. You are doing what you think is right, and I can’t blame you for that, but ask Ultron what his end goal is. Will all of this stop with the Avengers‘ death, or will it escalate from there?“ With that, she ran off. She helped everyone back into the jet, Clint helping Natasha, Tony carrying Bruce, and Steve and Thor walking unsteadily behind them.


	12. The Farm

“You know, it’s times like these that you really confuse me, Barton,“ Ami said, staring at the farmhouse in front of them. “You actually  _live_  here?“ she asked increduously.

“Yes, but if you ask me anywhere else, I’ll deny it.“

“Got it.“ The Avengers slowly got off of the jet, heading towards the worn-down farm. Ami was watching her friends with concern, ready to help if needed. Bruce still looked a little dazed, but everyone else seemed to have recovered for the most part. “Though, I must say, I can see why this is your ‘safehouse.‘ This is nice.“

“Thanks.“ As the group went into the house, they were greeted by a black-haired, brown eyed woman that was clearly expecting a baby.

“Clint?“ she asked, smiling happily at him as he walked in.

“Hi, honey,“ he replied, kissing her.

“Um, that’s an agent,“ Tony said, clearly still shocked at the idea of Clint Barton having a family.

“Daddy!“ voices yelled as two kids, a boy and a girl, ran down the stairs and gave him hugs.

“Incoming,“ Clint said, turning away from his wife and crouching down to catch the girl up into his arms. “Hi, sweetheart! Hey, buddy!“ Clint said to the kids as he hugged them.

“And those are smaller agents,“ Tony added. Thor shifted his weight and took a small step. A snapping sound followed directly after. Steve, Thor, and Ami looked down to see that he had stepped on a plastic block house and broken it. Looking around nervously, Thor kicked it under a nearby chair.

“Smooth, Thor,“ Ami said under her breath, grinning at him.

“Hi, Aunt Nat!“ the girl said.

“Hiya, sweetie!“ Natasha answered. Ami walked over to Clint and smacked him on the head.

“Ow! What was that for?“ Clint asked, rubbing his head.

“What, ‘Tasha gets to meet the mini-Hawkeyes, and I don’t? Really, Barton?“

“Um, sorry?“ he asked, cringing a bit. Ami failed to keep a straight face and broke into a grin before giving him a hug.

“Good for you, Mr. Barton! I can now officially call you old!“ she cheered, backing away from him with a teasing grin. Natasha headed off with the kids to go play, which was so wierd for Ami to watch happen.

“Sorry to barge in like this, ma‘am,“ Steve said politely.

“Yeah, we would have called, but we were too busy not knowing that you existed,“ Tony added. Ami smacked him on the arm.

“Hi,“ Clint’s wife said, a smile on her face. “It’s nice to meet you all, officially. I mean, I’ve seen you all on TV and Clint, obviously, but, it’s nice to meet you in person!“ The others remained uncomfortably silent, still processing the fact that Clint had a family.

“Ignore them,“ Ami said, walking up to her and shaking her hand. “They’re always like that when they aren’t driving each other up the wall. I’m Amiara Jones.“

“Nice to meet you. I’m Laura.“ Gradually, after several death glares and mental threats from Ami, the others introduced themselves and wandered off. Ami gave Clint and his wife some space, heading off to the front porch and sitting down on one of the rocking chairs. Steve followed her and took the other one.

“You okay?“ Ami asked, concerned for her friend. Wanda’s attack probably brought up bad memories for him, and he didn’t look back up to par just yet.

“No.“

“Do you want to talk about it?“

“Not here.“

“Where?“

“Woods.“

“Okay.“ The two headed off deep into the surrounding forest until they found a clearing and sat down on the grass. “What happened?“ Ami asked gently, placing a comforting hand on Steve’s knee.

“I—I was in the ‘40s again. I was with people, our friends. We were celebrating the end of the war. Peggy was there; she wanted to finish our dance.“

“It’s okay. Steve, look at me.“ He slowly turned his head to meet her gaze, a broken look in his eyes. Ami took both of his hands in hers and held them. “I know you miss the old times. I miss them, too. I miss spending time with our friends somewhere dancing ‘til my feet hurt, and I was so tired I could hardly walk. I miss it. I’m sorry you had to go through that. I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you like I should.“ Steve shook his head and looked at her with his big blue eyes.

“You have been there for me, Ami. Even if you didn’t know it. Just having a familiar face around helps so much. I’m glad you’re here, still looking out for me.“

“I’ve been doing it for years. Why stop now?“ Ami asked, smiling at her friend as he gradually returned to his normal self.

“Thanks, Ami,“ Steve said as they headed back to the farmhouse.

“Anytime, Steve. It’s what I’m here for.“ She swung her hands as she walked, enjoying the peace and quiet of the woods. Steve caught her right hand as it swung back and stared at it carefully. “What’s wrong, Steve?“ she asked, watching him scrutinize her hand. He broke out into a soft smile.

“Bucky gave you this ring,“ he said quietly. “Before he left for the war. It’s from high school.“

“He did,“ she said, blushing slightly. Suddenly, she felt it slip off of her middle finger. It was too big to fit her ring finger. She watched as he looked at the tan line on her finger from it.

“You never take it off,“ he stated.

“Rarely.“

“All these years?“ Steve asked, putting the ring back on.

“Ever since he gave it to me,“ she answered, twirling it around on her finger, grateful for its familiar weight.

“Why?“

“It—it made him feel a bit closer, after you both left. After he were presumed dead, it was a reminder of him. No matter what I may have said, you two were really all I had after my parents died. I just wore it everyday for so long that it feels wierd without it.“ Steve nodded before heading back to the house, seemingly lost in thought. Ami soon followed, reluctant to get back into the hectic life she now led. “You know, I never forgot you,“ she said quietly, even though she knew Bucky couldn’t hear her. “No matter what happened, I never forgot you. Do you even know why?“

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Watch yourself!“ Ami said, ducking as Clint almost hit her in the head with a wooden beam.

“Sorry, Ami,“ he apologized as he started to secure the beam into place.

“No worries. I would’ve healed up if you did hit me.“

“Hey, Ami, you seen Thor around?“ Steve asked, poking his head in through the door.

“Yeah, he flew off about an hour ago. Said he was going to get some answers for the vision he had,“ Ami answered, handing Clint a screwdriver and some long screws.

“I thought that was the witch’s doing,“ Clint said, looking down at them from atop the ladder.

“Her name is Wanda Maximoff, and it was, but Thor thinks there might be something that he missed that might help us. He’s going to get some help from a friend, I think. Don’t know when he’ll be back.“

“Oh, okay. Hey, you know where Tony went off to?“ Ami started to laugh at that question.

“Yeah. Robin Hood and Maid Marion dragged him off to play with them. They were drawing with chalk last I saw them.“ The two men began to laugh at the mental image they made. Those were the nicknames Ami had given Clint’s children, keeping with the archery theme of course. The image of Iron Man drawing with the two children was one that made Ami grin.

“That poor guy,“ Clint said, shaking his head as he went back to work. Steve went off to go “save“ Tony while Ami continued to help Clint remodel his dining room.

“You know, I could do this much faster if you’d let me,“ Ami said, handing Clint another beam.

“Yeah, but I like doing things by hand.“

“I’m just sayin‘.“ Fifteen minutes later, Steve still hadn’t returned from going to get Tony. “I bet those kids of yours wrangled him into drawing with them,“ she said to Clint as they put up their tools for the day.

“Probably. They’re pretty good at that.“ When she went outside, sure enough, the super soldier was sitting on the ground, drawing pictures with chalk on a block of concrete near the house. The kids noticed her and came over to drag her over and show her their pictures.

“Look, Aunt Ami! Look what Steve helped us draw!“ the girl cried, smiling at her. She grinned at the sheepish look on the man‘s face before looking down at the picture.

“Wow!“ she exclaimed, thoroughly impressed. “That’s great! It looks just like the farm!“

“We drew it together!“

“It’s amazing!“ She pulled out her phone and took a picture of it, saving it as her background. “There. Now I’ll always have it. Good job, Stevie,“ she said to her friend, who merely looked at her with a sheepish grin. “Steve, I swear, if you ever delete this picture off of my phone, I will send you back here to draw another one. Am I clear?“ Steve nodded, his eyes wide, and Ami laughed before sitting down to draw with the kids, content to be doing something so simple as drawing with chalk.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Ami looked up from the sink just in time to meet Nick Fury coming in the front door.

“Director Fury, what are you doing here?“

“Trying to save the world. What about you?“

“Damage control,“ Ami answered, nodding at Tony and Steve, who were being their normal selves and glaring daggers at each other from opposite sides of the room. “Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum have been going at it again.“ She sat down next to Natasha at the kitchen table. Bruce leaned up against the counter next to Clint while Fury stood facing them all.

“Ultron took you folks out of play to buy himself time,“ Fury said, looking very much like the director he had once been before Steve had taken S.H.I.E.L.D. out back when everything with Bucky had been going on. “My contacts all say he’s building something.“

“The amount of vibranium he made off with, I don’t think it’s just one thing.“

“What about Ultron himself?“ Steve asked.

“Ah, he’s easy to track. He’s everywhere. Guy’s multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit,“ Fury answered.

“Still doesn’t help us get an angle on any of his plans, though,“ Clint said.

“He still going after launch codes?“ Tony asked.

“Yes, he is, but he’s not making any headway,“ Fury replied.

“I cracked the Pentagon’s firewall in a high school dare,“ Tony said.

“Yeah, well, I contacted our friends at the NEXUS about that,“ Fury began.

“NEXUS?“ Steve asked.

“It’s the world internet hub in Oslo,“ Ami answered. “Every byte of data flows through there, fastest acces on earth.“

“So what’d they say?“ Bruce asked.

“He’s fixated on the missiles, but the codes are being constantly changed,“ Fury answered.

“By whom?“ Tony asked.

“Party’s unknown.“

“We have an ally?“ Steve asked.

“Ultron’s got an enemy. That’s not the same thing,“ Ami answered.

“Still, I’d pay folding money to know who it is,“ Bruce said.

“I might need to visit Oslo,“ Tony said. “Find our ‘unknown.‘“

“Well, this is good times, boss,“ Natasha said, “but I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you’d have more than that.“

“I do. I have you. Back in the day, I had eyes and ears everywhere. You kids had all the tech you could dream of. Here we are, back on earth, with nothing but our wit and our will to save the world. Ultron says the Avengers are the only thing between him and his mission. And whether or not he admits it, his mission is global destrucion. All this, laid in a grave.“

“It’ll never work,“ Ami said quietly, earning herself quite the looks from her friends. She was always the optimist of the group. Hearing her say that was probably a shock in and of itself. “We aren’t a team anymore. I really don’t think we were ever one to start with. Sure, we all fought aliens in New York, and we’ve destroyed a few Hydra bases, but we haven’t been acting like one otherwise.“ She looked pointedly at Steve and Tony, who had been fighting again. The two had the decency to look ashamed.

“Care to explain yourself, Miss Jones?“ Fury asked.

“We’ve lost sight of why we’re here. Nobody asked us to become the best of friends when we started this, and nobody expects us to be that when all of this is over, because that’s not what we are.“

“We aren’t anything,“ Tony said lowly. Ami sighed heavily.

“You guys, whether you like it or not, are all the family I have left in this world. Families fight, but they move on. And, unfortunately, we have fights and never move on.“ Ami stood up and stared Steve and Tony right in the eyes. “We have more important problems here than all of our little issues. We have someone out there who wants to destroy the world we live in. There’s a reason they call you the Avengers. Someone’s attacked your world, Avengers. What are you going to do about it?“ With that, she turned at looked right at Fury. “Does that answer your question, Director?“

“Just about.“

“So, what does Ultron want?“ Steve asked, finally looking a bit like the leader he was.

“To become better. Better than us,“ Clint said.

“He keeps building bodies,“ Bruce added.

“Person bodies. The human form is inefficient, biologically speaking; we’re outmodled,“ Ami continued.

“But he keeps coming back to it,“ Steve said.

“When you two programmed him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed,“ Ami said, grinning a bit at Bruce and Tony, letting them know she forgave them.

“They don’t need to be protected,“ Tony said, realization dawning on his face. “They need to evolve.“

“Ultron’s going to evolve,“ Bruce finished, getting the same look on his face.

“How?“ Ami asked.

“Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?“ Bruce asked.


	13. The Battle of Sokovia

“Would it be too much to ask that he just hand it over nicely?“ Ami asked as she looked at the semi Ultron was driving that carried the Cradle in it.

“I think so. You should probably go with your back-up plan now,“ Steve said as he leapt onto the trailer.

“‘Tasha, you got Steve?“ Ami asked.

“Yeah.“

“Okay, have fun you two. I’ll see you in a bit.“ Ami took off through the streets.  _Wanda, where are you?_

_How are you—?_

_I’ve already explained that. Where are you? We need to talk._

“Right here,“ Wanda said as Pietro skidded to a stop right in front of Ami with Wanda in his arms.

“Hi again,“ Ami said with a smile. “Look, I know you hate Stark. I personally think he’s annoying as all get out, but we really need your help. Cap’s taking care of Ultron while Black Widow gets the Cradle to Hawkeye. I‘m going to help Cap with Metal-Man.“

“Don’t you mean Iron Man?“ Pietro asked, cocking his head to the side humorously. Ami nodded towards where Ultron and Steve were shown on a nearby television fighting in a train. “Oh.“

“So, are you with me or not?“ The two looked at each other before nodding.

“We will help you,“ Wanda answered. Amiara smiled at the two.

“Great. Well, let’s go. We’ve got a train to catch.“ Pietro laughed at her joke before taking off, Wanda following right behind him. Ami giggled and raced after the twins.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“ _What_  are you  _doing_?“ Ami yelled, glaring daggers at Tony and Bruce. “Do you want to make things worse? Have you two lost your minds? In what world is this good?“

“You will give Ultron exactly what he wants!“ Wanda cried.

“Stark, I’m only telling you this once,“ Steve warned, stalking towards the billionaire.

“How about nunce?“ he shot back.

“Shut it down,“ Ami ordered, her eyes glinting dangerously.

“Nope. Not gonna happen,“ Tony answered.

“You don’t know what you’re dealing with,“ Steve said.

“And you do? Are you sure she’s not in your head?“ Bruce asked, pointing at Wanda.

“I know you’re angry,“ Wanda said quietly.

“We’re far past angry,“ Bruce said, “I could choke the life out of you without even changing a shade.“

“Bruce!“ Ami cried, a look of shock on her face. When did this guy get so violent?

“Banner, after everything that’s happened—“ Steve started.

“It’s nothing compared to what’s coming,“ Tony interrupted.

“You don’t know what’s in there,“ Steve argued. Wanda, Steve, Tony, and Bruce began arguing. A whoosh of air came out of nowhere before Pietro stood next to the cables that were now unplugged.

“Go on,“ he said, leaning nonchalantly against a machine, “You were saying?“ The glass beneath him shattered as Clint shot a bullet through the floor.

“Pietro!“ Wanda and Ami yelled, standing near the edge of the now-gaping hole in the floor. Chaos broke out as Tony tried to start the machine back up again while Steve, Wanda, and Ami tried to stop him. Suddenly, lightning flashed and thunder boomed as Thor crashed through the windows and smashed his hammer down on the Cradle.

“He’s always got to make an entrance, doesn’t he?“ Ami muttered. Pietro and Clint hurried up to their level and stopped behind Ami. Everyong stood still, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, a red something burst out of the case. Steve tried to throw his shield at it, but Thor stopped him. The thing, which turned out to be a red man, levatated in front of the windows that Thor hadn’t broken during his earlier entrance and stared out at the city. The man landed on the floor and stood next to Thor.

“I apologize,“ he said calmly, looking at Thor, “That was—odd. Thank you.“

“Who are you?“ Ami asked warily, standing at the ready to attack at the first sign of danger.

“I am Vision,“ he answered, turning to look at her, yellow orbs meeting gold-and-brown ones. His face was a crimson color, as was the rest of his body, except for a glowing yellow stone in the middle of his forehead. Vision, as he called himself, looked back at Thor before creating a cape like his, only golden.

“Thor, you helped make this?“ Steve asked, looking at the Asgardian.

“I had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life; and, at its center, was that,“ he answered, pointing at the stone.

“The gem?“ Ami asked.

“The mind stone. One of the six infinity stones that are unrivaled in their destructive capabilities.“

“Then why—“ Steve began.

“Because Stark is right,“ Thor interrupted.

“Oh, it really is the end times,“ Bruce sighed.

“The Avengers can’t defeat Ultron,“ Thor explained.

“Not alone,“ Vision added.

“Why does he sound like JARVIS?“ Steve asked.

“We reconfigred JARVIS‘ matrix. To create something new,“ Tony said.

“I’ve had it up to  _here_  with new,“ Ami said, putting her hand a foot above her head.

“You think I’m a child of Ultron,“ Vision said simply.

“Are you?“ Steve asked.

“I am not Ultron, nor am I JARVIS. I’m something—different.“

“I looked inside your head and saw annihilation,“ Wanda said quietly. Vision turned his calm gaze to the Maximoff girl.

“Look again,“ he said simply. Clint let out a bark of laughter.

“Her approval means nothing to me,“ he said harshly.

“What about mine?“ Ami growled, fed up with people bashing on her new friends. Clint got quiet, as did everyong else. “Well?“ she pressed. “You’ve known me for a long time, Barton. Does my approval count for anything? Because I trust Wanda and Pietro with my life just as much as I do Steve or you or Bruce.“

“But she—“

“Did what she had to do,“ Ami interrupted. “Stop being so stubborn!“

“Listen,“ Thor cut in, “Their powers,“ he motioned to Pietro and Wanda, “Ultron, the horrors inside our heads—they all came from the mind stone. They are nothing compared to what it can unleash. With it on our side—“

“Is it on our side?“ Steve asked. “Are you?“ Vision turned to the captain.

“I don’t think it’s that simple.“

“It better get real simple real soon,“ Bruce said, exasperated.

“I am on the side of life; Ultron is not. He will end it all.“

“What is he waiting for?“ Ami asked, afraid that she already knew the answer.

“You,“ Vision answered, confirming Ami’s sense of foreboding.

“Where?“ Pietro asked.

“Sokovia,“ Clint answered, “He’s got Nat there, too.“

“If you’re not on our side, if you’re really the monster Ultron made you to be—“ Bruce started.

“What will you do?“ Vision asked. Silence was his answer. “I do not want to kill Ultron. He is unique, and he is in pain. But that pain will roll over the world, so Ultion must be destroyed. Every form he has created, and every trace of him on the net. We have to act now, and not one of us can do it without the others.“ He stopped and looked at the twins and Ami. “I may be a monster. I wouldn’t know even if I were one. I’m not what you are, and I’m not what you intened. Therefore, there is no way to make you trust me, but we have to go.“ He handed Thor his hammer before walking out. Ami’s jaw dropped, along with everyone else’s in the room.

“Um, Thor?“ Ami said cautiously, “I think you just got replaced.“

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

“Is that the best you can do?“ Thor asked as Ultron floated in front of the group. Ami looked behind the AI to see an army of robots gathering around them.

“You had to ask,“ Steve said to Thor.

“No, this is the the best I can do,“ Ultron said, motioning to his army.

“We can’t leave a single one,“ Tony said to them.

“He’ll go into the network and come back,“ Natasha said.

“We’ve got to get the people to safety first,“ Ami stated firmly. “This is our fight, not theirs.“

“How do we get them off of here?“

“If the city drops, the place disentigrates,“ Tony pointed out.

“Well, I can think of worse ways to go out,“ Natasha said.

“Yeah. Where else are you going to get a view like this?“ Ami breathed, sliding an arm around Steve’s shoulders.

“It’s about to get a whole lot better,“ Fury’s voice came in over thier comlinks. The Helicarrier materialized out of the sky, along with several ships to take people aboard. “She’s a bit dusty, but she’ll do.“

“Fury, you old sot you,“ Ami said happily.

“Who you callin‘ ‘old,‘ Jones?“ he shot back.

“You and Barton!“ she replied, sprinting off to go lead people towards the ships.

“Hey!“ she heard Barton protest into their comlink. Ami just laughed before yelling at people to get on the ships while she took out all of the robots in the area by lifting them up off the ground and pulling them all into a tight ball before blowing it up with a blast of energy. She watched as a blue blur continued to streak past her.

“Having fun, Pietro?“ she yelled as he passed.

“ _Áno_!“ he answered as he passed back by again. ( _Yes_!) “And you?“ He was talking through the comlinks now, as he was too busy fighting to stop and actually talk.

“Eh, this stuff kinda grows on ya,“ she answered, setting a batch of robots on fire while freezing another. “Hey, Stevie, where are ya?“

“South side,“ he answered.

“Don’t tell me you’re taking down a squadron without me?“ she asked, popping over to him.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,“ he answered. Ami continued fighting until she panted and dripped with sweat.

“Hey, Coach,“ Ami said into her comlink, “is it time to go home yet?“ she asked.

“Not yet, Jones. We’ve still got people and robots to take care of,“ Tony answered. Ami wiped her forehead with her arm, effectively smudging more dirt and grime acrosse her face.

“What’s the matter, Jones? Gettin‘ tired?“ Clint teased as he landed next to her.

“Yes, Barton, I am. My healin‘ factor’s gettin‘ fried here. I’m gonna need a breather soon,“ she replied, leaning against a nearby building.

“Ami, are you okay?“ Steve asked her via comlink.

“Just winded, Stevie. Don’t worry. I’ll catch up in a sec.“ Clint took off in the other direction, and Ami raced off through town, taking out any and all robots they met while searching for stragglers. Ami, while looking fine on the outside, was actually getting impaled by lasers and robot arms left and right; however, her healing factor was healing her so fast that no one could notice. It was wiping her out. The continual use of her powers at such an extent was draining her of her energy even faster. Currently, she and Natasha were being swarmed by robots in an alleyway. The duo was trying to forced their way out of the alley, but it was slow going. Finally, they broke through, only to be confronted with a barrage of bullets. Immediately, Ami jumped in front of Natasha. Ami screamed as several punctured her torso, but they missed the red-head. She collapsed as her body struggled to remove the bullets and heal the wounds. Natasha turned to her, but Ami signed for her to keep going. The agent nodded and ran off as the bullets plinked one by one onto the ground. Once she was healed enough, she got to her feet and took off running again. As she headed towards the edge of the floating city, she saw Clint running with a small boy clutched in his arms. Behind him, Ultron was flying the Quinjet, aiming at the two. “No!“ Ami screamed, trying to get closer because she knew she wasn’t strong enough to protect them from where she stood. And if the way she felt was anything to go by, the next time she used her powers, she might pass out from exhaustion. A blue blur sped past her just as Ultron opened fire. Ami had just enough time to throw up a shield around the three before her knees gave out. Once the firing had stopped and Ultron had flown off, Ami looked up, praying that she had gotten the shield up in time. There, crouched down behind a chuck of rubble, were Clint and the boy, safe and unharmed. Pietro stood in front of them, gasping slightly while shaking on his feet. He had blood spots on his torso from where some of the bullets had pierced his skin, but Ami couldn’t tell if they had hit anything major.

“You didn’t see that coming,“ Pietro said to Clint shakily before collapsing onto the ground.

“No,“ Ami breathed, struggling to sit up. She crawled her way over to Clint, who was checking over the Maximoff twin. Steve came up behind him and took the little boy into his arms. Ami collapsed next to Pietro, watching as Clint looked for signs of life. The speedster’s eyes were blank and lifeless, staring unseeingly out at the ruins behind them. Now that Ami was closer, she could see a bullet holes spattered across his chest. Without a second thought as to the consequences, though she had an idea of what they might be, she placed her trembling hands on the wounds, pressing down slightly.

“It’s no use, Ami,“ Clint said quietly, grasping her hand in his. “He’s gone.“ Ami tiredly shook her head and tried to pull her hand away, falling back onto the ground next to him, crying slightly as the world blurred around her. Voices slurred together as her vision when black. She vaguely felt someone pick her up and hold her before she lost consciousness.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A steady beeping noise was what woke her up. Not a touch, not a voice, a constant, annoying beeping. Ami was ready to make the origin of said beeping noise a thing of the past before she realized that she couldn’t move. At first, she panicked; then, she realized that she just wasn’t trying.  _Smooth, Amiara,_  she thought to herself. She tried to wiggle her fingers, deciding to start with something small. Once she successfully completed that, she attempted to open her eyes. Success! However, she immediately slammed them shut again at the bright light. “Ow,“ she muttered hoarsely. Water; she needed water. Apparently, she had been out for several days. Her throat felt like a cactus patch in the middle of the Sahara in summer on the hottest day of the season. She wanted to blow the beeping into oblivion, but she still didn’t know where it was coming from. After several failed attempts, Ami opened her eyes fully and didn’t feel as if her eyes were going to burn from the lights. She was in a hospital room, if the white everything and overall clean smell was anything to go by. She struggled to sit up and was grateful to find that they hadn’t strapped her arms down while she was out. The beeping noise came from the heart monitor, unfortunately. She couldn’t turn it off without having everyone in the building freaking out. So, Ami did what she hated most; she waited in complete and utter silence for someone to show up and give her some answers. Thankfully, she didn’t have long to wait. A tall, blonde man entered the room about ten minutes later. He was wearing a lab coat and carrying a chart, suggesting he was a doctor, but Ami checked inside his head to make sure; he was. “Hiya,“ she said, waving at him. The man jumped about a foot in the air.

“Wha—Oh, you’re awake! That’s good. I’m Doctor Brunswik. How are you feeling?“ he asked, coming to stand next to her.

“Like I’m going to blow your heart monitor to kingdom come,“ she answered seriously, glaring pointedly at the machine. Doctor Brunswik laughed.

“Better, I would guess. Don’t worry; we’ll go through some things. If I’m satisfied, we’ll turn it off, and it’ll never bother you again. Would you like some water first?“

“Yes!“ she exclaimed. He walked over to a sink and filled a plastic cup with water from the tap. Ami gratefully drained it. “Thank you. We can start now.“

“Very well. What’s your name?“

“Amiara Camille Jones.“

“When were you born?“

“Don’t freak out; April 15, 1924.“

“Yes, I’ve been filled in on that by your friends. Where do you live?“

“24 Brighton Drive, Brooklyn, New York 11201.“

“Who are the friends we should contact in case something happens?“

“Really?“

“Hey, do you want that machine off?“

“Captain Steven Rogers, who currently resides in Stark Tower or at my home address, which you already have. Clint Barton is next, who can be found at Stark Tower or S.H.I.E.L.D. Natasha Romanoff after that, who is either at Stark Tower, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, or her apartment in Manhattan. And, if all else fails, Tony Stark, who is either at Stark Tower, one of his businesses, his home in Malibu, or try calling Pepper Potts, who will pass the message on.“

“Alright, now, this is the most important one. Do you have any idea how you got here?“

“Well, I was with the Avengers and the Maximoff twins in Sokovia, fighting Ultron. He got a hold of the Quinjet and was about to shoot Clint and a little boy. I was already spent, but I used the rest of my strength to set up a shield to protect Pietro, who ran to protect them from most of the shots, Clint, and the boy. Then, I passed out. Next thing I know, I’m waking up to the most annoying sound on the face of this planet. Can we PLEASE turn it off now?“ The doctor laughed.

“Yes. Your wounds have healed themselves, and you appear to have no lasting head injuries. Your friends brought you some clothes and things. They’re on the chair in the corner.“ As he spoke, he turned off the machine and unhooked her.

“Thank goodness!“ Ami exclaimed, relishing the silence. “And thank you, Doctor Brunswik.“

“Of course. I will go alert your friends. Goodbye, Miss Jones.“

“Bye!“ As soon as the door was closed, Ami ripped the sheets back and hurriedly put her clothes on, probably brought by Natasha. Denin shorts and a pale green, sleeveless shirt, along with tan sandals, made her feel much better instead of the itchy hospital gown. A hairbrush was with the clothes, so Ami brushed her hair and put it up in a high ponytail, feeling even more like herself. Finally, she noticed the other things that the Russian left for her. “Oh, Natasha Romanov, you are a SAINT!“ Ami exclaimed, happily grabbing the sketchpad, pencils, and large book that she had been reading from the chair. She jumped back onto the bed, put her pencils and notebook away, and opened her book back up, quickly becoming absorbed in its pages. A loud noise of footsteps outside her door brought her back to the present. As she looked up, someone knocked on the door. “It’s open!“ she called, marking her page and closing the book. The door opened with a bang.

“We thought you were dead,“ Wanda said as she crossed the room and gave Ami a hug.

“It’s gonna take more than a robot army invasion to kill me,“ Ami said with a wry smile.

“It better. I don’t think I can handle another scare from you,“ Clint said, walking towards her.

“Barton, that was only that one time in Budapest! Quit acting like I’m accident prone!“ Ami exclaimed, jumping up to hug him tightly. “I’m so glad you’re safe,“ she whispered in his ear as they hugged.

“Thanks to you,“ he whispered back. When they broke apart, Ami was swept up in another hug by Natasha.

“Не вы когда-нибудь сделать это снова,“ the red head warned. (Don’t you ever do that again.)

“Я ничего не обещаю. Вы, ребята, попасть в беду слишком много. Но я обещаю быть осторожным,“ Ami replied, smiling at her as she pulled away. (I promise nothing. You guys get into trouble too much. But I promise to be careful.) She was surprised to see Tony opening his arms to hug her next. “You’re making the first move here, Stark. I wanna remember this,“ Ami said with a smirk. Tony rolled his eyes and gave a fake groan.

“Fine, but only this once,“ he said, walking forward and pulling her into his chest. “Don’t tell anyone this, but I was worried,“ he said quietly.

“My lips are sealed,“ Ami answered, grinning at the billionaire. She turned a saw Bruce standing awkwardly in a corner. “Get over her and hug me, you big green dork,“ she said with a smile. The two hugged briefly before Bruce shuffled back into his corner, muttering something about too many people in a small area, making Ami smile in sympathy at him. “You can sit on the bed, Bruce; there’s more room there.“ The doctor nodded and sat on the edge of the bed, farther away from the people crowded in the room.

“Lady Amiara,“ Thor’s voice boomed, causing Ami to wince.

_Does that man HAVE an indoor voice?_  she thought with a laugh.

“I am glad you have recovered!“ Thor said, a huge smile on his face.

“I had to. Who else is going to teach you how to cook?“ Ami teased, hugging him tightly around his waist. Thor’s chest rumbled as he laughed. When Ami pulled away from the Asgardian, she finally reached Steve. She didn’t even give him a warning. She ran across the room and jumped him, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Steve stumbled back a bit under her sudden weight, but steadied himself and hugged her back just as tightly.

“I’m so glad you’re alright,“ he said into her ear, his voice full of relief.

“Somebody’s got to take care of you,“ she said, tears threatening to pour out of her eyes. After several minutes, she put her feet down and stood back up. Suddenly, she noticed the absense of two people. “Where’s Vision?“ Ami asked, concern inching into her voice.

“He’s back at the Tower,“ Tony said, “waiting for news about you.“

“I’m fine. Do I feel like running a marathon? No, but I’m better than I was, honest.“ She noticed the dubious look on Steve’s face. “Steve, I swear I’m okay. You can ask the doctor.“ Steve sighed.

“I know. I was just worried I’d lost you.“ Ami smiled and patted his cheek.

“You don’t have to worry about that for a good long while,“ she answered. “I’m not going anywhere.“


	14. The Accords

“I don’t like it,“ Ami said as she sat across from Wanda at an outdoor cafe.

“Nobody likes it,“ Wanda replied quietly. “That’s why we do it so others don’t have to.“

“I know that, Wanda,“ Ami replied just as quietly. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it. In fact, I refuse to like it. This has ‘problem‘ written all over it.“

“People are counting on us, Ami,“ Natasha’s voice came through the com-link. “We owe it to them to help them.“

“I  _know_!“ Ami said firmly. “I just  _don’t like it_.“

"Alright, what do you see?“ Steve asked over the coms, breaking up the conversations.

"Standard beat cops,“ Wanda answered. "Small station. Quiet street. It’s a good target.“

"There’s an ATM in the south corner, which mean—“

"Cameras,“ Ami replied.

"Both cross streets in one way?“

"So compromise the escape routes,“ Wanda answered.

"Gettin‘ good at this,“ Ami said, smiling.

"Means our guy doesn’t care about being seen. He isn’t afraid to make a mess on the way out. You see that ranger over half way up the block?“ Steve asked.

"You mean the red one? It’s cute,“ Wanda said.

"It’s also bullet proof,“ Natasha cut in. "Which means private security, which means more guns, which means more headaches for somebody, probably us.“

"You guys know I can move things with my mind, right?“ Wanda asked.

"And I can teleport anywhere I want. And do her thing too,“ Ami piped up.

"Looking over your shoulder needs to become a second nature,“ Natasha said.

"Anybody ever tell you you’re a little paranoid?“ Sam asked her.

"Not to my face. Why, did you hear something?“ Natasha sassed back.

"Eyes on target, folks. It’s the best lead we‘ve had on Rumlow in six months. I don’t want to lose him.“

"We won’t, Steve,“ Ami said.

"If he sees us coming there won’t be a problem,“ Sam said. "He kind of hates us.“

"Sam, see that garbage truck? Take it.“

"Truck’s loaded for max weight, and the driver’s armed,“ Sam reported.

"It’s a battering ram,“ Natasha said.

"Go now,“ Steve ordered, and Ami and Wanda moved into motion.

"Why?“ Wanda asked.

"He’s not aiming the police,“ Steve answered. Ami ducked under an overhang and popped up outside the Institute for Infectious Diseases in Lagos. Ami took out three guards, keeping them away from Wanda as she lifted Steve up into the building.

"They’re splitting up,“ Sam said, and Ami took Wanda’s hand, taking them into the middle of the marketplace. They split up, and Ami found Steve standing over Rumlow. The two were fighting, and Ami sprinted over, punching him in the jaw as he went for Steve again.

"Stay down,“ she snarled.

"This is for dropping a building on my face,“ Rumlow said. He was severely scarred, almost unrecognizable. "I think I look pretty good, all things considered.“

"Who’s your buyer?“ Steve asked.

"He knew we knew you. Your pal, your buddy, your Bucky.“

"What did you say?“

"Steve,“ Ami said, her claws drawn, ready to take Rumlow out if he tried something.

"He remembered you. I was there. He got all weepy about it. Till they put his head in a blender. He wanted you to know something. He said to me, ‚Please tell Rogers when you got to go, you got to go.‘ And you’re coming with me.“

"Steve!“ Ami yelled, shoving him back with a burst of engery. Rumlow pushed a button, and Ami saw the explosion coming a mile away. Suddenly, energy wrapped around it, and Rumlow flew upwards. Wanda was straining to keep it contained as she lifted him away from the crowds below high into the air. It wasn’t enough, though. The explosion broke free, and and three floors of the building nearby burst outwards. Wanda gasped, covering her mouth.

"Oh my—Sam, we need—fire and rescue, on the south side of the building,“ Steve said. He kept talking to Sam, but Ami went over to Wanda.

"It’s not your fault, Wanda,“ she said. "C’mon. We have to help them.“ Wanda nodded shakily, and Ami helped her steady herself before the two headed into the building.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ami,“ Natasha said, sticking her head into her room, "Stark’s back. He’s called a meeting.“

"I’m coming,“ Ami said. She got up and followed the redhead down the hallway to the meeting room. She sat next to Steve and motioned for Wanda to sit next to her. "What’s going on?“ she asked Steve.

"Secretary of State,“ Steve said. "He wants to talk to us.“

"That can’t be good,“ Ami said with a sigh. A graying man walked in. He nodded to all of them and waited for everyone to get settled.

"Five years go, I had a heart attack. I dropped right in the middle of my batting swing. Turned out, it was the best round of my life because after thirteen hours of surgery and a triple bypass, I found something forty years in the army never taught me: perspective. The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You’ve fought for us, protected us, risked your lives. While a great many people see you as heroes, there are some who would prefer the word  _vigilantes_.“

"And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?“ Natasha asked, ever the calm one.

"How about  _dangerous_?“ Ami felt Chaos flare in her, but she stomped him back down. "What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ingore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind them. New York. Washington D.C. Sokovia. Lagos.“ He showed clips from all of these sites, and Ami took Wanda’s hand at the mention of Sokovia.

"Okay. That’s enough,“ Steve said, and Ami could hear the barely-concealed anger in his voice.

"For the past four years, you operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That’s an arrangements the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution.“ He laid a large stack of papers on the table. "The  _Sokovia Accords_. Approved by 117 countries. It states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they’ll operate under the supervision of a United Nations Panel, only when and if that Panel deems necessary.“

"That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,“ Ami said.

"Ami,“ Tony said warningly.

"No! This is stupid! How long ago was Lagos? Two—three days? There is no way that this thing has been looked over and had all of it’s fine print read!“

"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place,“ Steve said. "I feel we’ve done that.“

„Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now? If I misplaced a couple thirty megatonne nukes, you can bet there’d be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That’s how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground.“

"That’s not the middle ground,“ Ami said. „That is you saying, 'heel, doggy. Sit and stay until we tell you to attack.‘ What are you gonna do about countries in the UN that don’t have the same beliefs as you do? People could die in the weeks that it takes the UN to decide to send in the Avengers when we would have been there in one day to take care of the problem. No, Mr. Ross. This isn’t going to solve a  _problem_ , if you want to call it that. This is going to cause the same problems they have with the UN forces now. Nothing gets done.“

"Miss Jones, are you done?“

"Would you like me to be?“ she snapped back, a growl on her lips.

"Ami,“ Steve said. She sat down.

"So, there are contingencies?“ Rhodey asked.

"Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. So, talk it over.“

"And if we come to a decision you don’t like?“ Natasha asked.

"Then you retire.“ Ami got up and stormed out of the room, going down to the training room and letting her anger out on some of the dummies in there.

"You done?“ she heard a voice ask, and she turned to look at Steve.

"No. I’m  _furious._ This is ridiculous. They have no right—“

"They do.“

"No, they don’t. SHIELD founded the Avengers. The UN never had a problem with SHIELD. In fact, the UN was going to bomb Manhattan during the Chitauri invasion, if my memory serves. They’re looking for someone to blame, and they picked us!“

"Come on, Ami. We’re going to talk about this. As a team.“ Ami sighed and followed him back into the common room. Rhodey and Sam were in the middle of talking about it.

"Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor,“ Rhodey was saying, "which is more than you have.“

"So, let’s say we agree to this thing,“ Sam answered. "How long is it gonna be before they lo-jack us like a bunch of common criminals?“

"117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam, and you’re like, 'No, it’s cool.‘“

"How long are you going to play both sides?“ Sam shot back.

"I have an equation,“ Vision said calmly. Then again, that’s the only way he ever spoke.

"Oh, this will clear it up,“ Sam sassed.

"In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of noted enhanced persons had grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen in a commissive rate.“

"Are you saying it’s our fault?“ Steve asked.

"I’m saying there maybe a causality. Our very strength invites challene. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict breeds catastrophe. Oversight—oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand.“

"Boom,“ Rhodey said.

"Tony,“ Natasha said, drawing his name out slightly, "You’re being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal.“

"It’s because he’s already made up his mind,“ Steve said, his gaze hard on the billionaire.

"Boy, you know me so well,“ Tony snapped back. He stood up, wincing as he did. "Actually, I“m nursing an electromagnetic headache. That’s what’s going on, Cap. It’s just pain. It’s discomfotr. Who’s putting coffee grounds in the disposal?“ Ami bit her lip to fight the grin that rose unbidden to her face. "Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?“ A pictured of a young man appeared on a holographic screen suddenly, and Ami realized what this was actually about. "Oh, that’s Charles Spencer, by the way,“ Tony said. "He’s a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, before he parked it behind a desk. See the world, maybe be of service. Charles didn’t want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which it what I would do. He didn’t do to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where? Sokovia.“ Ami looked at Tony, whose face seemed impassive, but she’d known both him and his father for too long to be fooled by that look. He was upset, geniunely distressed over this young man. "He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won’t know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass.“ He took a pill for his headache and chased it down with coffee before crossing his arms and looking at the group. "There’s no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I’m game. If we can’t accept limitations, if we’re boundary-less, we’re no better than the bad guys.“

"Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don’t give up,“ Steve said calmly.

"Who said we’re giving up?“ Tony asked.

"We are if we’re not taking resposibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blames.“

"I’m sorry, Steve,“ Rhodey said, clearly angry again. "That—that is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we’re talking about. It’s not the World Series Council, it’s no SHIELD, it’s not Hydra.“

"No, but it’s run by people with agendas, and agendas change,“ Steve answered. Ami looked up at Tony. He caught her eye for a split second, and that was all she needed.

"Tony, he died in Sokovia?“ she asked quietly, very careful to keep her face neutral and nonaccusing. Tony nodded. "A lot of people died there, Tony. Both good and bad. Young and old. We can’t let one sad story rule our emotions. Why were we in Sokovia in the first place, Tony?“ There was a long beat of silence. They all knew why. "Yes, our fights, the people we risk our lives to stop, the gigantic battles we go through—they caused deaths. I’m not saying they don’t, because Lord knows we’ve leveled a few towns to take out bad guys. But the number people who die in our fights? That’s miniscule to the amount of people who’d die if the bad guys had won? Loki? Ultron? Hydra? If we weren’t there to stop them, the deaths would be astronomical. And during each of those major fights we’re had, what has the government done? Just take New York for example.“ She had everyone’s attention now, and she was working very hard to keep her emotions under control. Getting worked up would do no good here. "The Chitauri were invading, coming by the thousands, and a rag-tag little group of people in spandex and fancy curtains were fighting to hold them back. Now, we’re kicking butt and taking names down there, but what does the government do? They shot a missile at the island of Manhattan. There was no evacuation time; there was no warning. Just an order given and a missile fired. Tony, you almost died flying that thing into the portal. We all almost died that day. Not from the aliens. From the government who want us to sign this document launching a missile at a heavily-populated area.“ She watched his jaw lock up, and she knew she’s made her point, but she’d lost him. "I’m not saying we couldn’t do a better job, because we could. There’s always room for improvements and better decisions, but I just can’t accept these Accords. I won’t let the same people who voted to kill off thousands of people be the people who tell me what to do and who to fight.“ She stood up and looked around the room. "I value all of your friendships dearly and hope that this causes no animosity between us, but as of right now, I retire. I’ve been fighting for too long, anyway.“ Ami looked over at Tony, who was staring at her steadily. "Thank you for letting me stay here, Tony. I’ll be packed and moved out by the end of the day.“ She turned and walked down the hallway, hearing the silence of the room behind her.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She was stuffing the last of her valueables into a box when there was a knock on her door. "Come in,“ she called. Steve stood in the doorway, looking on the edge of tears. "Steve? What’s wrong?“ He walked in and closed the door, walking over to her and hugging her tightly.

"She’s gone,“ he said tightly. "I—I just got a text.“ Ami instantly knew who he was talking about.

"Oh, Stevie,“ she said sadly, squeezing him tightly and blinking back her own tears. Peggy Carter was gone.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ami sat between Steve and Sam as Sharon Carter spoke about her aunt. She hadn’t known that the two were related, even though the last name should have been a clue. After the funeral was over, she looked over at Steve. "Do you—?“ she let her question trail off.

"I—I want to be alone for a while.“ Ami nodded.

"I’m moving all of my stuff back into the house,“ she said. "I’ll pop on home, okay? When you come back, I’ll be there.“ Steve gave a tight nod, and she gave him a tight hug. "I’m here for you, Stevie, okay? No matter what.“

"Til the end of the line,“ Steve muttered, and she nodded.

"Yeah, til the end of the line.“ She kissed his cheek and disappeared in a poof. She sat down on her couch, letting her head fall into her hands. Peggy Carter had been a great friend to her, especially after Steve and Bucky died. She’d needed a good friend and listening ear. Ami hadn’t been to see her in recent years as often as she’d liked, but she was going to miss her friend.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ami’s phone rang, and she glanced up from where she was putting some books back onto her already-overflowing bookshelves. The five boxes from Avengers Compoun were mostly unpacked, but she’d been procrastinating. She wanted to check the news, but she didn’t have the heart to see which of her friends had signed the Accords. She answered it. "Hello?“

"Ami.“

"Tasha?“

"You need to get Steve under control.“

"What? He’s a big boy, Tasha, he can take care of himself. What’s he done now?“

"They blamed Bucky for bombing the UN. Steve and Sam went to go get him. T’Challa in out for blood. You have to get Steve to stop. He’s going to get himself in trouble. Or worse.“

"Woah, woah, slow down. The UN was bombed?“

"Haven’t you watched the news?“

"No, Natasha, I haven’t! I just walked away from my friends! I just lost another one! I don’t want to see how far it’s all fallen. I retired.“

"You didn’t go under a rock.“

"Yes, I did.“ Ami sighed and sat down. "Tell me everything.“


	15. The Soldier's Return

Ami walked into the glass meeting room, looking at Tony seriously. "Ami? What are you—?“ Steve started to ask.

"I want to see him,“ she said to Tony, ignoring Steve completely. She’d talk to him about not telling her they were going after Bucky later.

"I can’t let you, Ami.“

"Tony, so help me, I will risk getting myself killed if I have to. I want to see him.“

"It’s not up to me!“ Tony answered. Ami got into his bubble, her eyes flashing crimson.

"You are my friend, Tony. At least I hope we still are. But they were there for me when no one else was. He means more to me than you, or Tasha, or Clint or anyone else in this cursed building. So. Let. Me. See. Him.“ Tony had leaned back a bit as she spoke.

"I’ll talk to Ross.“

"No. I’m going now. Try to stop me.“

"You’re going to get into trouble!“ Tony called as she spun around and walked towards the door.

"Oh, look who’s telling me that!“ she yelled back, stalking down the hallways and down to the holding room. She looked at the guards, who returned her look before stepping aside. The door opened, and Ami walked in.

"Ma’am, he’s dangerous,“ one of them said. She looked back at him, her eyes flashing red again.

"So am I,“ she answered and closed the door behind her. She stepped closer, and Bucky looked up at her, his eyes widening.

"Ami,“ he said in surprise.

"Hello, Bucky,“ she said with a smile. "It’s nice to see you again.“

"Yeah. I thought—“ His voice trailed off.

"I know. I wish we could’ve met under different circumstances.“

"I didn’t do it, Ami,“ he insisted. "I’ve been staying under the radar. I wouldn’t—“

"I know, Buck.“ She walked up to the glass and put a hand on it gently, giving him a smile. "I believe you, I really do. You don’t have to prove yourself to me.“ Bucky smiled a bit.

"You look good.“ She huffed a laugh.

"Thanks. So do you, despite the fancy chair. So high maintenance, Bucky Barnes.“

"Well, you know me,“ he answered with a light shrug of his shoulders. They looked at each other with light smiles, and she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. His gaze locked on her hand. "You still have it,“ he said in surprise. She looked down at her hand which held her ring.

"Of course I do. I never take it off.“

"I had sort of thought that you wouldn’t want to wear it anymore, after everything.“

"That wasn’t you, Buck. This is you, the person talking to me right now. The whole world may not believe you, but I do. I know you. Better than anyone. Except maybe Steve. And this ring is the most precious thing I own. I’d never take it off, not even for that.“ The door behind Ami opened with a hiss, and she turned around to see Tony standing there.

"Ami, come on,“ he said, glancing over at Bucky for a split second before looking back at her. She looked back at Bucky and blew him a kiss.

"I can’t get you out of here, but—“

"I know. Go on, Ami. I’m not going anywhere.“ She gave him one last look before following Tony back up to the main floor. Steve and Sam looked at her from a room, but she shook her head.

"I’m getting some air,“ she said, heading up the stairs and going to stand on the helicopter landing pad. It was quiet up here. She could gather herself. She hadn’t spoken to him like that, a normal, actual conversation where they could acutally joke around, in over seventy years. She spun the ring on her finger as she looked over Berlin. Suddenly, the door behind her burst open, and she saw Bucky stalking towards her. "Bucky?“ she asked. He glared at her coldly. "Not Bucky,“ she corrected herself. "Well, sorry, bud, but I can’t let you leave. You mean too much to me.“ She saw his swing even before her threw it and dodged out of the way, kicking at him. He spun around and caught her ankle, throwing her to the floor. She skidded along the concrete, crying out in pain as she did so. Climbing to her feet, Ami pulled him away from the cokpit as he started the engine. "Now, can’t we just be civil about this?“ she asked him. She received a well-thrown punch as an answer. "Guess not. Well, I’m sorry, Buck. This is gonna leave a mark.“ Red swam through the air, and she watched as he paused, his eyes growing wide as she shifted into Chaos. Steve chose this moment to burst through the door. "Steve! About time!“ she exclaimed, her voice rough and gravelly now. Bucky managed to climb in and get the chopper off of the ground, but Steve jumped up to weigh it down. Ami/Chaos flew up and sliced open the other door with her claws. "Really, Buck. We can’t let you leave. Til the end of the line and all that, ya know?“ She swiped at the controls, and they went out in a storm of sparks. The helicopter tail smashed on the helipad and began to fall into the river. Ami dived after Steve, catching him before her fell after it. She set him on the edge of the river and dived in after Bucky. The two surfaced moments later, and Ami poofed them away to an abandoned warehouse nearby. Close enough that she knew they wouldn’t think to look. They’d still have to keep an eye out, though. Sam met them, and she allowed herself to change back to normal. Sam greeted her with a nod before dragging a still-unconscious Bucky over to an industrial vice and securing his arm in it. "Is that really necessary?“ Ami asked.

"Yeah, it is,“ Sam answered.

"You do know I can move things with my mind. And read them, right? I can tell you—“

"Ami, he’s right on this one,“ Steve interrupted. "I don’t like it either, but it’s the best decision right now.“ Ami sighed.

"You two go stand guard. I’ll watch him.“

"Really? After what you just—“

"Sam, of everyone here, I’m the best equipped to take him down if he’s still a threat. I don’t have superhearing or enhanced vision, but I can keep him under control.“

"She’s right, Sam.“

"Oh, so now you’re on her side?“

"Sam,“ Steve sighed, giving his friend a pleading look. Sam sighed and threw up his hands.

"Fine, fine. Yell when he comes to.“

\-------------------------------------------------

"Guys!“ Ami called over her shoulder. Two sets of footsteps signaled their return, and Sam and Steve entered the room as Bucky looked up at them, looking like he’d gone three rounds with Tony in the suit. Having done that personally, Ami knew it wasn’t fun.

"Steve, Ami,“ Bucky ground out.

"Which Bucky am I talking to?“ Steve asked. Ami growled lowly, but Steve shot her a look.

"Your mom’s name was Sarah. You used to wear newspapers in your shoes. Ami used to be allergic to carrots.“

"Can’t read that in a museum,“ Steve said to Sam, a small grin on his face.

"Just like that, we’re supposed to be cool?“ Sam asked in disbelief.

"I can check him over, if you want,“ Ami answered, her tone cold. "Or! Or maybe, I can create a link between you two. Let you walk around in his head for a bit. See what’s going on. Will you believe him then? Huh? Because I know you don’t like him, Sam, you’ve made that perfectly clear, but for once—for once, will you please just let the man speak? He’s been through enough today as it is.“ Sam raised his hands in surrender, taking a step back.

"What did I do?“ Bucky asked, giving Ami an appreciative glance.

"Enough,“ Steve answered.

"Oh, God, I knew this would happen,“ Bucky sighed. "Everything Hydra put inside me is still there. All he had to do was say those words.“ Ami didn’t know what he was talking about, but she’d get the scoop from Steve later, she was sure.

"Who was he?“ Steve asked.

"I don’t know,“ Bucky said.

"People are dead. The bombing, the setup. The doctor did all that just to get ten minutes alone with you,“ Steve replied. "I need you to do better than 'I don’t know.‘“ Bucky thought for a second.

"He wanted to know about Siberia. Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where.“

"Why would he need to know that?“ Ami questioned.

"Because I’m not the only Winter Soldier."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

"Who were they?“ Steve asked as Ami leaned against a pillar, filing away all of the information for later. She might need it.

"Their most elite death squad,“ Bucky answered. "More kills than anyone in Hydra history. And that was before the serum.“

"They all turn out like you?“ Sam asked.

"Worse."

"Could the doctor control them?“ Ami piped up.

"Enough.“

"Said he wanted to see an empire fall,“ Steve mused aloud.

"With these guys, he could do it. They speak thirty languages, can hide in plain sight, infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize. They can take a whole coutry down in one night. You’d never see them coming.“

"This would have been a whole lot easier a week ago,“ Sam said, stepping closer to Steve. Ami let them do their guy thing and walked over to Bucky, releasing the vice that held his arm.

"Hey,“ she said quietly.

"Hey,“ Bucky said with a half-grin.

"Quite a mess you’ve caused here, Barnes,“ she said with an answering grin. "Like I said. So high maintenance. If you’d wanted me to notice you, all ya had to do was ask.“ Bucky huffed a laugh.

"What are you doing here, Ami? It’s been—too long.“

"Remember those tricks up my sleeve?“

"Yeah?“

"Apparently one of those was a healing ability. I’ve been here, waiting on you two dorks to get back, for seventy years.“

"Oh, Ami, doll,“ Bucky said, taking one of her hands in his flesh one. "I’m sorry.“

"It’s not like you could’ve done anything different. Don’t worry about it, Bucky. I’m okay. I have friends. Not all of us are on the best terms, but—“ She gave him a half shrug, and he smiled.

"I missed you,“ he admitted. She squeezed his hand.

"I missed you too. Every day. I thought about you all the time.“

"Didn’t know I meant so much to ya, doll,“ he said quietly, looking her in the eye.

"Of course you did, you jerk. You just didn’t want to do anything about it until after the war was over.“

"And look what it got me. Left my best girl waiting for seventy years. You deserve better, Ami.“

"Maybe. But I’m pretty darn happy with you.“ She leaned forwards a bit and kissed his cheek, smiling at him when she pulled away.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

"No, Steve.“

"But, Ami—“

"No. I’m not doing it. I can have you guys there in two shakes. Literally.“

"We need you, Ami.“

"I’m flattered. But I retired for a reason. I don’t want to fight my friends, our friends, Steve! Because that’s what’s going to happen! The UN is looked for us, Steve! And who are they going to send to take care of two supersoldiers, a mutant, and a bird-man?“

"Hey!“ Sam exclaimed.

"They’ll send Tony and Natasha. They’ll send Rhodey and Vision. They’ll send the people best qualified to take us down, and possibly out! And I won’t fight them!“

"Then don’t!“ Steve answered. "Get to the plane and fly us there.“

"I can take all of you right now!“

"We need help, Ami! We can’t do this alone!“ Ami sighed, feeling every bit of her 98 years.

"I’m sorry, Steve. I’ll meet you in Siberia, but I won’t fight my friends. There’s a reason I chose to step away from all of this. I have to stay within my boundaries. I’ll help you take out the global threat that nobody knows about, but that’s all I do.“


	16. The Fight

Ami sat atop a rooftop, looking at the sky. She could hear the sounds of the city below her, bustling away as if nothing was wrong. It was almost peaceful. But it wasn’t. Everything was wrong. Her heart waged against her mind, and she couldn’t do it. She’d popped away after her argument with Steve, leaving them to do their own thing and meet them in Siberia when the time came, but she couldn’t do it. Her friends—her family—were going to tear each other apart, and she couldn’t let that happen. She stood up, her decision made, and she appeared in the middle of a runway at the airport, right smack in the center of a Texas standoff. "Ami!“ Steve exclaimed.

"What are you doing here, Ami?“ Tony called from her other side.

"Stopping this. It’s wrong, Tony. It’s not about the Accords anymore. The world is at stake! Please, can’t you listen to me, just this once?“

"I’m sorry, Ami, but you have to pick a side.“ Ami looked at him, her eyes pleading with him.

"Tony, please, this is more important than any document. Since when have you ever followed the rules?“

"Since I got hundreds of innocent people killed. Pick a side, Ami.“ Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Fine,“ she bit out. "You want me to pick a side? Team Cap or Team Iron Man, is that what this is? Is that what our team has come down to? Fine, Tony. I’ll pick a side. I’ll pick him.“ She raised her hand and pointed, right at Bucky.

"So we fight,“ Tony said, his visor starting to close.

"No!“ Ami yelled, and the entire group froze. Not out of fear or anything, mind you, though that would have been very cool. No. Ami held them in place. Forced them to stay where they were. "No, we don’t fight. Not yet. Not until you listen to me. So, you’re going to listen, and you’re going to actually hear what I say, and you’re going to understand it.“ I’m not picking Steve’s side. I’m not picking him over you. I’m not picking your side. I’m not picking you over Steve. I choose Bucky.“ She stared Tony Stark right in the eye. Tears were pouring down her face "I’m picking him over both of you. Because even when I had nothing, I had Bucky. I had nobody, Tony. No one. Not Peggy, not your dad, not any of the friends they made in the war. Nobody. All I had in all the world, Tony, was the ring you’ve teased me about for  _years_. You said I’d die if I took it off. You’re right. I would. Because this ring? It got me through the darkest times. The ring  _Bucky_ gave to me. So okay, Tony. I’ll pick a side. I pick Bucky Barnes. Because he means more to me than anything in this entire world. And if that means I have to fight all of you to keep you from hurting him, so be it. Because I. Love. Him. And I’ll pick him, every time. It’s more than the Accords and who signs it and who did what and what organization is manipulating which group of people. This thing is tearing us apart, tearing you apart, and me. So I’ll pick the one person who  _ever_  managed to put me back together again.  _That_  is why I’m here, Tony. Nothing more, nothing less. And if I have to fight the all the armies of the world to keep him safe, then that’s what I’ll do, because that’s what love it to me, Tony Stark. And I hope you’re happy with the outcome.“ With that, people could move, and the fight began.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ami knelt next to Steve and Bucky. "Want me to pop you out of here  _now_?“ she asked, peering at the distance between them and the Quinjet. "I mean, it’d kill time  _and_  we could get out of here.“

"No. We can’t leave the others,“ Steve said.

"Go!“ Sam said over the comms. "The rest of us aren’t getting out of here.“

"As much as I hate to admit it, if we’re gonna win this one, some of us might have to lose,“ Clint added.

"This isn’t the real fight, Steve,“ Sam continued. Steve sighed.

"Alright.“

"We’re going, guys. Be careful,“ Ami said.

"Go!“ they collectively yelled, and Ami grabbed both of their shoulders, closing her eyes and taking off into the air, Chaos’s wings beating powerfully and rocketing them up into the air. Once up high, she began to pop in and out, twenty miles out each time. She stopped for a break in the middle of a Russian farm. She was panting and laid down on the grass, Chaos giving way to herself.

"You okay, Ami?“ Bucky asked in concern.

"Yeah, yeah I’m fine,“ she gasped. "Just winded. I’ll catch my breath in a second. Phew! You guys are a lot heavier than I thought. I’m not used to so much added weight when I teleport.“ Bucky and Steve sat on the ground on either side of her, letting her recover.

"What’s gonna happen to your friends?“ Bucky asked. Steve sighed and shook his head.

"Whatever it is, I’ll deal with it,“ he answered.

"I don’t know if I’m worth all this, Steve.“

"Don’t say that,“ Ami said, grabbing his metal hand. "Of course you’re worth it.“ He gave her a weak smile.

"What you did all those years—it wasn’t you. You didn’t have a choice,“ Steve said.

"I know. But I did it.“

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Ami and Bucky were left on their own for a minute while Steve checked out their surroudings a bit. She was regaining her strength, but she still wasn’t up for taking them the rest of the way. "You chose to fight,“ Bucky said. She nodded. "Even though you didn’t want to. For me?“ She smiled at him.

"Of course. Don’t you know how much you mean to me, Bucky?“

"I just—after all this time. You waited for me?“

"Well, you’re one of a kind,“ Ami said with a smile. "It’s kinda hard to compete with James Barnes.“ He huffed a laugh. "And yes, I did. I love you, Bucky. Don’t you know that?“

"Of course I do. I love you too. I just—you had every reason to move on, and you didn’t. All of your friends, everyone you met, and you still chose me, even though I was dead.“

"Call me over-attached,“ she said with a shrug. "You’re it for me, Bucky.“ Bucky smiled at her.

"Me too, Ami. Always.“

\---------------------------------------------------------

Ami fell onto to the snowy ground with a grunt. "Ami!“ Steve and Bucky exclaimed, both kneeling beside her on the snow.

"I’m fine, I’m fine,“ she gasped. "Go on. Just catching my breath. I’ll be fine.“

"Are you sure?“ Bucky asked.

"Yeah, I’m good. Go. I’ll catch up.“ Steve nodded, and Bucky gave her a last look.

"Hurry,“ he whispered. "I think we’ll need the help.“ She gave him a weak smile.

"Be safe, and watch out for Stevie.“ Bucky nodded before both of them stood to face the entrance of the Hydra base.

"You remember that time we had to ride back from Rockaway Beach in the back of that truck?“ Steve asked.

"Was that the time you used our train money to buy hot dogs?“ Bucky asked.

"You blew three bucks trying to win that stuffed bear for Ami,“ Steve retorted. Bucky huffed a laugh and looked back at Ami, who shot him a smile from where she lay on the ground.

"Get going, you dorks,“ she said. "I’ll be there in a second.“ They nodded and walked into the base, their footsteps crunching in the snow. She lay there for several more minutes, getting colder by the second but still too weak to get up. Ami tensed up at the sound of rockets firing before shutting off and footsteps came towards her. She slid her knives out and pushed up onto her feet.

"Whoa, hey, it’s me!“ Tony explained, his helmet disappearing into his costume.

"Last time I saw you, you tried to kill me and my friends—our friends. Forgive me if I’m not more welcoming,“ Ami growled out weakly.

"The doctor who was supposed to interview Barnes—his body was found in a hotel room. Barnes was framed. I was wrong. I’m here to help,“ Tony said, his hands raised in a non-threatening gesture.

"Why don’t I believe you right now?“ Ami asked. "You attacked me. You took my friends. You went after the man I love. You didn’t listen to me at all. Give me one good reason to trust you.“

"Because I’m all the back-up they’re going to get. And, if it’s any consolation, I’m sorry for not listening to you.“ Ami put her knives away with a sigh, crumpling to the ground. "Hey!“ Tony was at her side in a heartbeat. "What’s wrong?“

"Tired,“ she answered. "I teleported myself and two people from Germany to Siberia. Haven’t gotten my strength back yet.“

"Well, c’mon,“ Tony said, his helmet going back up as he pulled her to her feet and looped one of her arms around his shoulders. "Those two will need some help.“ Ami nodded a bit before passing out.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

She woke up in familiar arms. "Bucky?“ she whispered, blinking her eyes open.

"Hey, doll,“ he said, smiling down at her. "Welcome back.“ He carefully set her down on her feet, letting her get her balance before letting her go.

"What happened?“

"You passed out, according to Stark.“ He nodded over to where Steve and Tony were standing, looking at a screen. Ami gasped when she saw a familiar face on it.

"Bucky, is that—?“ She didn’t dare finish the question. It would make it all too real. His lack of response was all the answer she needed. "Oh, Buck,“ she said sadly. Tony suddenly lunged towards Bucky, and Ami stepped in front of him protectively. Steve held Tony back.

"Tony. Tony!“ Steve said. The man whipped around to face the blonde.

"Did you know?“ he asked.

"I didn’t know it was him,“ Steve answered.

"Don’t bullshit me, Rogers! Did you know?“

"Yes,“ Steve said after a second. Tony stepped back before spinning to face Ami.

"Tony, I“m sorry.“

"You knew?“

"No, no, I didn’t. Tony, I wouldn’t lie to you about this,“ Ami said, tears dripping down her cheeks. "Howard and Maria were my friends. If I’d known, don’t you think I would have told you?“

"He did!“ Tony yelled.

"Tony, please!“ Ami begged brokenly. "Tony, it wasn’t him. He wasn’t himself, wasn’t in control. You know how that feels. Clint was the same way when Loki attacked. Please, Tony, don’t let this break your friendship. Please, listen to me this time.“ She knew she was a mess, but she didn’t care. "Tony, it wasn’t him. Don’t blame him. Blame Hydra. They did this. They wanted your father dead, not Bucky. Please.“ Steve opened his mouth, and Ami shot him a harsh glare.  _If you value your life, you’ll keep your mouth shut,_  she thought at him, and she saw his jaw tighten as he snapped his mouth shut. "This is the empire Zemo wants to fall. We’re stronger together, and he knows it. I“m sorry about your parents, and I’m sorry you found out like this, but please, think about what you know happened to him.“ It all crumpled from there. Tony reared back and punched Steve in the jaw. Ami, seeing no other choice, reached out a hand and held him still. "I’m sorry, Tony. I don’t want to keep doing this, but I can’t let you destroy yourself like this.“ She looked at Bucky sadly. "Go,“ she said. "Get out of here. Get somewhere no one will ever find you, and stay safe.“ He looked at her, conflicted. "Go!“ Her other hand went out to hold Zemo in place, who was trying to sneak away. "I can only hold them for so long.“ Bucky nodded, kissing her soundly before running away. Out of the shadows, a man appeared. "King T’Challa,“ Ami said, her voice shaking as she struggled to keep herself together. If she dropped, Tony and Zemo would be free, and Bucky wouldn’t have a prayer of getting away without a fight.

"I almost killed an innocent man,“ T’Challa said.

"Hardly an innocent one,“ Zemo scoffed from the room he had locked himself in.

"You wanted them to rip each other apart,“ Ami said accusingly. If he could talk, it meant her control was slipping. She released him, knowing there was only one way out of that room. Steve moved to guard it, so Zemo would stay put.

"My father lived outside the city. I thought we would be safe there,“ Zemo said. "My son was excited. He could see Iron Man from the car window. And I told my wife 'Don’t worry. They are fighting in the city. We are miles from harm.‘ When the dust cleared, and the screaming stopped, it took me two days until I found their bodies. My father still holding my wife and son in his arms. And the Avengers? They went home. I knew I couldn’t kill them. More powerful men than me have tried. But, if I could get them to kill each other?“ He gave a small smile before looking straight at T’Challa. "I am sorry about your father. He seemed a good man, with a dutiful son.“

"Vengeance has consumed you,“ T’Challa answered, and Ami felt herself start to shake slightly. Tony  _would_  fly off if she let him go, she knew that. She  _had_  to give Bucky plenty of time. "It’s consuming them. I am done letting it consume me. Justice will come soon enough.“

"Tell that to the dead,“ Zemo spat.

"The living are not done with you yet,“ T’Challa answered. Ami was shaking so much she could hardly stand. A gentle hand was laid on her arm, and she glanced over to see that T’Challa was standing next to her.

"Let him go, Amiara.“

"I can’t,“ she answered, her voice tight and shaking. "He’ll—“

"That is his decision. If he chooses to realize what this man’s plot was, perhaps he will make a different call than what you think.“

"You don’t know him like I do,“ Ami gasped. "I—I can’t. I already lost him once. I—I can’t lose him again.“ She felt him lean close to her, and he whispered into her ear.

"I will protect your love, Miss Jones. I swear it. Now, let him go.“ Ami took a shaky breath and let her hand drop, falling to her knees as she sobbed harshly. Strong arms went around her, and she looked up to see Steve kneeling in front of her. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and sobbed into his chest. She heard the sound of a laser and looked up through tear-filled eyes to see Tony cutting away at the door, slowly but surely, with T’Challa standing by.

"It’s alright, Ami,“ Steve soothed. "It’s gonna be alright.“

"He’s gone,“ she sobbed. "Again.“

"It’s okay, Ami. It’s gonna be okay. At least we know he’s safe.“ It didn’t help her at all.

"We just found him again. It’s not fair. Why him? Why is it always him?“

"I don’t know, Ami. I don’t know.“ He squeezed her tightly, and she continued to cry. Metallic clanking was heard, and she looked up at Tony, who was looking down at her with an almost-neutral expression.

"I listened, Ami“ was all he said before he and T’Challa took Zemo away.


	17. The Reunion

_Hey, Bucky. Don’t answer me, just—just listen, please. I wanted you to hear, from a reliable source, what’s been going on since you escaped. Tony sat down and actually read all of the files that Natasha leaked two years ago about Hydra and what they did to you. He’s not forgiven you, though I would be a bit concerned if he had, so soon after finding out. He has, though, agreed to not try to find you and kill you or anything like that. The Accords are renegotiated. T’Challa saw to that. He’s got a lot of power and a way with words, apparently. If you need any help, anytime, for anything, go to Wakanda and go to his palace. He has assured me that you can get all of the help and supplies you need there, no questions asked. He did say that his doctors would be willing to help with the words and stuff that Hydra did. Steve and I went to check them out. They’re clean. You can trust them. Steve—Steve and I are okay. You don’t have to worry about us. We were allowed back into the country, and our teammates were released from custody with all charges dropped. Wanda’s had a few set-backs from her confinement on the Raft, but we’re all helping her. We’re—we’re okay, Buck. We’ll make it. Steve and I are living in my house in Brooklyn. Just needed some time to just be ourselves, ya know? So, don’t worry about us. Take care of yourself, and stay safe. You’ve been cleared of the charges and such, so the UN won’t be after you, but I’m sure there are old enemies trying to find you. Stay safe, and be careful. I—I love you, Bucky._

Ami opened her eyes after sending that long message to Bucky telepathically, feelign tears glue her eyelids together slightly. She wiped her eyes and sniffled a bit before standing up and heading downstairs. Steve was just coming in from his morning run. "Hey,“ he greeted.

"Hey.“

"You alright?“

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Hungry?“

"Starved. What’re we havin‘?“

"Well, I was thinking biscuits and bacon.“

"Sounds amazing, Ami. I’ll just run up and take a quick shower. Be back soon.“ Steve kissed her cheek and hurried upstairs, his footsteps echoing through the house. She smiled and put the biscuits in the preheated oven. Yeah, they’d be okay. They had each other this time. They’d be okay.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

"Aunt Ami, come play with us!“ Lily called from the grass. Ami looked up where she sat on the porch and smiled at the older Barton kids.

"I’ll be there in a minute, sweetie! I have to run inside first.“

"Okay! Hurry back!“ Ami nodded and went inside to put on shoes.

"Where’re you goin‘?“ Clint asked.

"To play with your children,“ she answered, slipping on her combat boots.

"You won’t be able to play very well in those.“

"Watch me. You’re just jealous that I’m faster than you in these.“

"Jones, I will fight you.“

"You will lose,“ she shot back with a grin and a wink. Laura’s laugh came from the kitchen, and Ami stuck her tongue out at Clint before hurrying back outside. "Okay! I’m here! What’re we playing?“

"Tag! You’re it!“ Lily yelled, and Ami groaned playfully as she took off after the brunette. Around and around the three played until they were all panting, sweaty, and barely able to lift their legs. Collectively, they agreed to end the game and go inside.

"Have fun?“ Laura asked them.

"Yeah!“

"Go clean up. Dinner will be ready in a bit.“

"Yes ma’am,“ the three said, and Ami washed her hands in the kitchen while the other two went into the bathroom.

"Any word?“ Ami asked Clint lowly. He shook his head.

"Nothing. Not for five months.“ She sighed and nodded.

"Good. That’s good. Then we know he’s safe.“

"Ami, can’t you—“

"Would you like someone constantly in your head asking how you are? Because I know you wouldn’t.“ Clint nodded and stepped back. Ami sighed and grabbed his hand. "I’m sorry, Clint. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just—“

"Worried. I know. It’s okay, Ami. I understand.“ Dinner was eaten among the chatter of Lily and Cooper as they avidly talked about their day. Ami added in some parts, but the two children did most of the talking. After dinner, Ami went upstairs to her room to clean up for bed. She checked her phone and saw a text from Steve.

_Still nothing—S_

_That’s good.—A_

_Is it? He could be...ya know_

_I’d know, believe me. I’d feel it. He’s safe._

_Are you sure?_

_Yeah, Stevie.  
I miss him._

_I miss him too, Ami, but it was the best chance you could’ve given him._

_I know._

_Goodnight, Steve. I’ll be home tomorrow._

_Night, Ami. Sleep well._

_You too, Stevie._  She’d barely put the phone down before it started vibrating. She picked it up and answered it. "Hello?“

"Miss Jones.“

"Oh, hello, T’Challa. What can I do for you?“

"How soon are you able to come to my palace? Ir’s urgent.“

"I’ll be there tomorrow afternoon. Is Steve—?“

"On his way. He will meet you here.“

"I’m on my way.“

"See you soon, Miss Jones.“ He hung up, and Ami hurriedly got dressed again. She grabbed her bag and popped down into the kitchen. Laura jumped while Clint stood up.

"What is it?“ Clint asked.

"T’Challa called. I have to go.“

"Yeah, okay. Go. Call me when you find out what’s going on.“

"I will. Promise.“ She hugged both of them and ran outside. Teleporting would take too much out of her. "Fancy a fly, Chaos?“ Powerful wings beat into the air a split-second later, and Chaos flew off into the night.

\----------------------------------------------------------

Ami landed in Wakanda at 12:00 sharp, landing on the helipad on top of the palace. She was greeted by two guards, who eyed her warily until she changed back. "King T’Challa sent for me,“ she said, and they nodded.

"This way,“ one of them said, and she was led inside and down to a sitting area several floors down. There was a wall of windows that gave a gorgeous view of the forest below them. However, that isn’t what drew her attention.

"Bucky?“ she asked, her voice shaking. He turned around and smiled at her.

"Hiya, doll.“ She was across the room and hugging him before she even realized it.

"You’re—you’re here! I—I thought—oh, Bucky I missed you so much.“

"I missed you too, sweetheart. So much. That’s why I had T’Challa send for you the moment I got here.“

"Has Steve gotten here yet?“ she asked, unwilling to let him go despite the conversation.

"No. Almost, though. A few more minutes, at least.“ He seemed to not want to let go either. If anything, his grip was tightening around her instead of loosening. Someone clearing their throat behind them was the only thing that made them let go, and even then, Bucky grabbed her left hand with his right. A servant stood behind them, a tray in his hands.

"His Highness sent these, assuming you must be hungry after your long journey, Miss Jones.“ Ami smiled.

"Thank you. I see T’Challa is as insightful as ever. It looks wonderful.“ The servant smiled.

"I’ll just set this on the table, then,“ he said, placing it carefully on the small table among the chairs.

"Thank you—?“

"Himashi, my lady,“ the man replied.

"Thank you, Himashi.“

"It was my pleasure, Miss Jones.“ With that, the man turned and left, and Bucky and Ami practically vaulted over the couch to get to it.

"T’Challa was right. I’m s _tarving_ ,“ Ami said with a grin as she stuck a few grapes in her mouth. Bucky grinned and grabbed an apple. Hurried footsteps sounded behind them, and a breathless blonde round the corner. The two smiled at Steve, who stood in shock for a moment.

"Bucky?“

"Hey, Stevie,“ Bucky answered. The two men gave each other a hug before they sat down, Steve picking up a small block of cheese to nibble on.

"How long have you been here, Buck?“ Steve asked.

"A few days? Not very long.“

"And you just called us now?“ Ami asked, a teasing grin on her face.

"Well, I had some things I wanted to talk to T’Challa about, without you guys there to distract me.“

"We would never!“ Ami exclaimed, though the smile on her face gave her away. She and Steve would’ve never given him his own time.

"What did you talk to him about?“ Steve asked. Bucky took a deep breath and took Ami’s hand in his right. She noticed that he wasn’t using his metal arm at all.

"I want to go back under,“ Bucky finally said.

"Under what?“ Ami asked, confusion in her voice. "Underground?“

"No. Cryofreeze.“ Ami’s heart stopped beating for a second, she was sure of it. She registered Steve talking, and Bucky answering, but it was as if her brain had powered off too. She stared blankly at their clasped hands, not thinking or moving. She wasn’t even sure if she was breathing. A hand went on her shoulder and shook her slightly, but she couldn’t make herself react to it. The hand holding her own released it, and she suddenly sprung into action. Without even conscientiously deciding it, she flung herself at Bucky and grabbed him with both arms, hot tears pouring down her face. "Easy, doll, easy. It’s okay,“ he soothed, his hand coming up to rub her back. „"t’s okay, Ami. I’m not going anywhere yet.“

"But you are going,“ she sobbed. "You just got back, and you’re going again.“

"Doll, haven’t you been listening?“

"This has happened before, Buck,“ Steve said quietly. "She didn’t hear anything we just said for the past ten minutes.“ She’d been like that for ten minutes? Huh. That was a new record.

"What? What do you mean she didn’t hear anything?“ Bucky’s grip on her tightened.

"Sometimes, when she gets shocked emotionally, she shuts down. And not always of her own volition. It just happens. She literally stops reacting to everything around her.“

"And this has happened before?“

"Yeah,“ Steve said, his hand falling to rest on Ami’s thigh and rubbing it gently. "Right after she let you go. She cried for a good five minutes, and then nothing. It was only for about five minutes, but I had to carry her out of there because she wasn’t responding to anything.“

"And you didn’t think to get her checked out?“ Bucky exclaimed.

"She has a healing factor, Buck! If there was anything physically wrong with her, it’d be fixed!“

"He’s right,“ Ami said quietly. "Healing factor doesn’t help emotions.“

"What happened, doll?“ Bucky asked gently. "Why’d you check out on us?“

"You’re leaving again,“ she said, her voice barely a whisper. "I just got you back, again, and you’re leaving.“

"Doll, it’s for everyone’s safety,“ he answered. "Everything Hydra did is still locked up in there. I could get triggered by anything, and that’d be it.“

"I could help you,“ she replied. "So could Wanda. Maybe even Vision.“

"It’s not just my head, sweetheart. My arm is severely malfunctioning. It hurts to use it at all. T’Challa’s scientists are the best in the world. They’re gonna make me a new arm. It’s just until we can figure out what to do, Ami. It’s not forever.“

"It’ll feel like it,“ Ami answered. The three friends sat there quietly, no one having anything else to say to that.

\--------------------------------------------------------

"Do you think you could?“ Ami asked.

"I’d be willing to try,“ Wanda answered over the phone. "He’d have to be willing to try as well. I’ve spent enough of my life manipulating people against their will. He’d have to agree to it.“

"I’d help too, of course,“ Ami added.

"Yes. It’d be good to have someone he trusts there as well.“

"And you talked to Tony?“

"Yes. He’s willing to help T’Challa’s people with anything they may need, if anything should happen.“

"Thank you, Wanda. I owe you so much.“

"Not at all. You’re my friend. I want to help.“

"I’ll call you back when I get an answer.“

"Okay. Bye, Ami.“

"Bye.“

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

"Bucky, she said she would!“

"How do you know it’ll work?“

"How do we know anything is going to work? Bucky, please!“

"Ami, I just want to give everyone time to work everything out! There’s no need to rush things!“

"How is this rushing things? I’ll be there too! I’ll be helping! We just want to help, Bucky!“

"Yeah? Well, stop! Stop trying to help me! I don’t want it!“ Ami stepped back a bit, trying and failing to mask the pain that he sent right into her heart. "Ami,“ Bucky said, his brows pinched together slightly. He took a step towards her, and she took another step away from him.

"No, I understand,“ she said quietly, looking at the floor. "I’m sorry.“ She was gone in a poof of smoke, appearing instead on the helipad.

_I have to go, Steve._

_Ami, where are you going? What are you doing?_

_No. Don’t bother. I’ll talk to you later._  Crimson wings spread from her back, and she flew off into the cloudy sky.


	18. The Healing

_Ami, please answer me. I’m sorry. Come back and talk to me, please._  The constant apologies and begging that sounded in her head were driving her up the wall. She refused to answer him, but he obviously wasn’t sleeping, because they’d been going non-stop. She sat above a waterfall, watching the water tumble down into the pool below.  _I was upset and scared, doll. Please, let me make it up to you. I’m so sorry. I had no right to snap at you like that._  Ami groaned aloud and gripped her head.

_Stop. Stop it. Just leave me alone._

_No. I won’t. I had no right to treat you like that, Ami. Let me apologize._

_I don’t want to talk to you right now! Just—just stop it!_

_Ami, please. I was scared. I didn’t want you to see all of the terrible things they did to me. I lashed out. I’m so sorry._ Ami groaned again, tears springing from her eyes like the river she was watching.

_Leave me alone, James._  There was no answer for several moments.

_Alright. I’m sorry, doll. Take care of yourself._  Then, silence. Ami gripped her head and cried. The silence was both blissful and the most painful thing she’d ever endured.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

_Ami, they’re putting him under today. Won’t you at least come say goodbye?_

_No, Steve. I can’t. You know I can’t._

_Ami, please. We’re all he has._

_You tell him for me._

_Ami._

_Quit trying to mentally send me your kicked-puppy look. It’s not going to work._

_How about this then?_ A picture of Bucky, looking pale and worn, flashed across her mind.  _He’s been like this ever since you left. He won’t even speak to me anymore. Ami, please. He needs you._

_He didn’t need me a week ago when I tried to help._

_But he needs you now, Ami. More than he ever did before. Please? If not for him, for me? I’m about to lose my best friend **again**. Please? I need you too. _Ami sighed.

_Fine. I’ll be there soon. But if this was all just a trick, Steve Rogers, so help me, I will punch your lights out._

_It’s not. I swear._  Ami flew high into the air, the cool wind hitting her face and turning her cheeks red. She sighed. She wasn’t mad; she was hurt. Bucky had never yelled at her before, especially when it came to the health of one of their trio. She’d only wanted to help. She knew the stuff that he’d done. She and Steve had looked through the files online together after Siberia. She knew the horrors they’d put him through. Of course, living through them in his mind would be thousands of times worse than just reading them, but that’s why she was going to have Wanda help. They were going to lock away those memories if he wanted them gone or help him work through them if he wanted to. Together, they could take away the brainwashing and help his scattered memories get sorted. But Bucky wouldn’t even let her explain that. He just flew off the handle at her. She couldn’t be around that. She needed time to collect herself and get grounded again. She’d just needed time. Ami landed on the helipad atop the palace and nodded to the guards stationed there. They let her pass, and she walked down to the sitting room she’d been to before. King T’Challa stood there, looking out the windows.

"Welcome back, Miss Jones,“ he said without looked at her.

"Thank you, Your Highness. Though, aren’t we past formalities at this point?“

"Indeed,“ T’Challa said, turning to her. "I am glad you have returned. Sergeant Barnes has not been in the best of health this past week. I fear he is not sleeping.“

"Is that why you’re putting him under today?“ He gave her a confused look. "Steve told me.“

"Yes, the technicians and I felt that it would be best. He has been having severe episodes recently. Even Captain Rogers could not get him to calm down. We had to resort to—drastic measures.“

"You had to sedate him?“ Ami gasped. T’Challa nodded.

"You must understand, Amiara, it was for his own safety. He was at a risk of hurting himself if we did not do something.“ The young king looked severly upset over this.

"No, I understand, T’Challa,“ Ami said. "I’m sure you only used it as a last resort. Where is he now?“

"Still sleeping off the sedative. The incident happened yesterday afternoon. I will take you to him. Shall I alert Captain Rogers of your return?“ T’Challa asked as the two walked down a hallway.

"No, not yet. He’d just hover. Let him find me on his own. He knows I was coming back.“ The two went down several passageways and down a flight of stairs until reaching a door with a small window in it. The window was tinted, so they couldn’t see inside.

"He’s in here. I’ll leave you to sit with him. There will be a guard outside the door should you need anything,“ T’Challa said.

"Thank you,“ Ami replied before stepping into the room. It was dark inside, the lighting dimmed a bit. Bucky lay on a hospital-style bed, an IV in his right arm and screen on the wall showing his vitals. "Oh, Bucky,“ Ami said quietly. "So high maintenance.“ She sat down in the chair in the room and waited quietly for him to come around.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

She looked up from the doodle she was drawing at the sound of a pained whimper from the bed. Bucky was still out, but his face was pinced in distress. With a light sigh, she put her doodle down and reached out a hand, running her fingers lightly through his hair. She shushed him gently, putting her other hand in his flesh one. "It’s alright, Bucky,“ she said gently. "You’re safe. It’s okay.“ Gradually, he relaxed, and his eyes fluttered open. They widened and frantically looked around for a minute before landing on you.

"Ami?“ he rasped.

"Hey, you,“ she replied fondly.

"You came back.“

"Of course I did. I just needed some space, Buck.“

"Thought you’d left forever,“ Bucky croaked. "Weren’t comin‘ back.“ She saw tears spring up in his eyes. With a small smile, she wiped the ones that fell down with her thumbs.  _I thought you didn’t love me anymore._  That thought rung loud and clear through her head, and Ami jumped back at the sheer sadness that radiated in that one sentence.

"Oh, Bucky,“ she whispered, sitting on the edge of his bed and running her hands through his hair and over his face. "Just because I leave doesn’t mean I don’t love you. I promise, Bucky, I still love you. More than anything or anyone.“ She wiped the still-falling tears.  _I’ll never stop loving you_. Bucky let out a hoarse laugh and sat up, grabbing her in a tight hug.

"I’m sorry I yelled at you,“ he said hoarsely. "I—I was scared. I don’t want you to see that part of my life.“

"I don’t either, Buck, but I’d rather know than have you suffer. Speaking of, T’Challa said that you had an episode yesterday? That that’s why you’re here?“ Bucky nodded against her shoulder.

"I—I remember. Don’t know what set me off, but—I couldn’t come back. I tried; I knew it wasn’t real, but I couldn’t come back. Next thing I know, I’m waking up here.“

"Steve said they wanted to put you back under because of all the set backs.“

"I asked them to,“ Bucky admitted. "I—I thought you hated me, weren’t coming back. I—I couldn’t live like that. Thought it was best.“

"What about Steve? He needs you just as much as I do. Didn’t you think about him at all?“ Bucky didn’t answer. "Bucky.“

"I couldn’t think straight. Wasn’t sleeping, kept seeing things. Just wanted it all to go away.“

"Well, you aren’t going back under, Bucky Barnes. I won’t let you. We’re going to help you. Without putting you back on ice. Got it?“ Bucky nodded.

"Got it.“

"Good. Now, let’s get you something to eat. You look worse than Steve back when he had walking pneumonia.“

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Bucky, stop!“ Ami giggled, trying in vain to get him to cease his relentless tickling of her sides. "Stop! Can’t—breathe!“ she gasped. Bucky let up for five seconds to let her catch her breath before setting in on her again. "Buck!“ she screeched. Bucky’s laughs mingled with her own, filling the house with laughter. "Steve, help me!“ Steve looked up from where he was drawing on the couch. He gave her a smirk before looking back down at his sketchbook. "Steve! Traitor!“

"No one to save you now, Ami!“ Bucky cried, his hands skirting up and down her sides and squeezing her rib cage relentlessly. Ami squirmed helplessly on the floor, tears rolling down her face from laughing.

"Please, Bucky, stop!“ she begged. "Hurts!“ He instantly let up, sitting back on his heels as she caught her breath. "Thank you,“ Ami gasped. Bucky beamed down at her, his eyes shining with happiness and joy. She laid on the floor, looking up at them. He was so much happier now, so much more like the Bucky she’d known when they were much younger. She and Wanda had worked for three weeks to remove the trigger words in Bucky’s head, as well as work through memories from Hydra with him. They were tucked safely in the recesses of his mind, the horrors they bought overruled by the happier memories of childhood and his life before Hydra. He’d moved into the room Ami had set aside for him after their return from Wakanda. Avengers Tower had a place for them too, and they stayed there sometimes after parties or missions, but all three preferred to come to the place they had all called "home“ once upon a time.

"You alright, doll?“ Bucky asked, playfulness in his voice.

"Dandy,“ she answered, suddenly springing into action and getting her revenge. Bucky’s feet and sides fell prey to Ami’s quick fingers, and soon both were laughing loudly again as Bucky tried to squirm away, only to be followed by Ami, who refused to heed his pleas for mercy.

"Steve!“ Bucky called out. Again, Steve glanced up from his sketch. He looked Bucky dead in the eye, grinned like the Cheshire cat, went back to sketching. "Traitor!“ Bucky echoed Ami’s cry from earlier. Steve chuckled and shook his head. There was no way he was getting in the middle of that. He put the finishing touches on his sketch, the figures of Ami and Bucky laughing on the floor as they had been earlier clearly depicted in his sketchbook. He smiled to himself and flipped the next page, setting in on the soft curves of Ami’s face. He’s just finished the outline of it when he realized that the house had gone silent. That could be very good or very bad. Looking up, he realized the two were nowhere to be seen from his position on the couch. Setting his sketchbook aside, he got up and searched the main floor, looking into the dining room before rounding the corner to the kitchen. He saw Ami and Bucky on the floor, Ami lying atop Bucky, both sound asleep. He looked down at Ami’s hand as something glittered in the sunlight that streamed through the kitchen window. Beaming to himself, he quietly left the room.

"It’s about time.“

\----------------------------------------------------------

"There’s the Big Dipper,“ Ami said, pointing up at the stars. Bucky hummed and nodded, following her finger to the constellation above them.

"Which means the North Star is—“ He followed the map of the stars that had been ingrained in his head since early school years as he searched the night sky. "—right there.“ He pointed, and Ami nodded, scooting closer to his warmth in the cool night air.

"You’re gettin‘ good at this,“ she commented.

"Well, I’ve had a good teacher,“ he replied. Ami hid her face in the cloth of his coat.

"I just reminded you of the stuff they taught us in grade school.“

"Yeah, but you know I never paid much attention other than how to find the North Star and two plus two is four.“

"That’s 'cause you and Steve were always causing trouble,“ Ami answered, giggling. "Remember when Louis Bertonelli pushed Pamella Cooper into that puddle and Steve busted his lip before getting knocked into next week by Louis’s big brother?“ Bucky chuckled.

"Yeah, and I bruised my knuckles takin‘ the big brother out. Pamella brought us homemade cookies the next day. Those were amazing.“ Ami hummed.

"They were. Never tasted anythign like ‚em since. Pamella never would give me the recipe. I asked.“

"Really?“

"Yeah. You wouldn’t shut up about them for months afterwards, so I wanted to make you some for your birthday. She did it instead.“

"Oh, yeah, I remember. She got so upset when I shared most of them with you and Stevie.“

"She had it bad for ya, Buck.“

"Did she?“

"You mean you never noticed?“ Ami asked, sitting up to look at him incredulously. Bucky shook his head.

"Thought she was being nice.“

"Bucky, she flirted with you shamelessly for years! You swear you didn‘t see it?“

"That was—what?—sixth grade? Seventh?“

"Seventh.“

"Oh, then yeah, I didn’t notice.“

"Why? You always noticed it.“

"Nah, not back then.“

"Why?“ Bucky looked past her and up at the stars.

"That’s when I started fallin‘ for you, Ami. And I fell hard.“ Ami blushed.

"And you waited until now to tell me this?“

"I was scared, Ami. I mean, I was falling in love with my best friend. And your dad didn’t exactly approve of me hangin‘ around.“

"Oh hush you. He was just giving you a hard time. He never  _stopped_  talkin‘ about you. Ma was the same way. They both  _adored_  you. And Stevie too, of course, but you were absolutely  _golden_.“

"You’re kidding me.“

"Nope.“

"All that time, and I coulda—“

"Yep.“ Bucky hid behind his hands.

"I’m an idiot.“

"Yes, you are, but you’re  _my_  idiot.“

"I spent all that time chasing skirts to get my mind offa you, and I coulda had you the whole time. I’m an abosolute  _dumbbell_.“

"Well, don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re got me now, don’t you?“ She pulled his hands away from his face and smiled down at him. He grinned back at her.

"I do, don’t I?“

"Yep. As of today at one o’clock, you’ve got me forever and ever.“

"‘Til death do us part,“ Bucky said.

"‘Til the end of the line,“ Ami replied. Under the stars, in the chilly night air, sitting atop Ami’s roof, Bucky and Amiara Barnes met in a tender kiss, one in the many, many more they would share in their love that had lasted through the ages.


End file.
